Fate eternia
by Surarrin
Summary: Within the miasma of an eternal languish, the light of hope shines with a magnificence unrelenting. Grasp onto it with your own two hands and pull yourself from purgatory and embrace a miracle. Uzumaki Naruto shall fight in the War of the Holy Grail.
1. Zero: Day

**So, here is another story I've been writing.  
**

**Jon**

**Fate/eternia**

**Prologue**

* * *

Its funny how facing off against a gigantic hell-creature composed of the will of the earth itself can put your life into perspective. The earth beneath my feet trembled and quaked in sync with the beast's lumbering breaths. Around me sand stretches in every direction, far beyond the horizon exists nothing but sand. Thousands upon thousands of miles of empty space, devoid of even the simplest life. The air is warm and stale and a shadow has fallen over me.

The lumbering beast is blocking out the sun with it's immense body.

I have always wondered how my life was going to end. Whether it was going to be in a fit of glory, or in peace surrounded by those I cared about. I never expected it would be a thankless lonely death.

However, for this I did not need thanks.

This is an accomplishment I will be happy if no one ever learns about. We are far away from civilization. Far beyond the reach of mortal eyes and those that could have seen this far have been occupied with other concerns. This creature is one I don't want anyone to know about.

Those who do know of its existence know enough not to tell anyone.

As the Sage of the Six Path remains a legend, The White Beast must never be made known to the world. I don't know how they would handle it, the knowledge that the earth itself has will, and with that will would crush humanity rather than allow it to lead to the destruction of the planet.

The earth shudders and groans as a low growl emanates from the monstrous form before me. No, it is not just the earth. The very fabric of reality is fracturing as the measure of power in such a simple gesture is released. But that's okay.

It's alright to be angry.

I'd be angry as well if my body was torn asunder and reduced into mindless demons.

But I can't let that anger go unchecked.

"I can't let you go on you know." I say casually as I meet the blood red gaze of the creature before me. "Even if I didn't care for the world. You took someone very close to my heart from me."

I paused for a moment.

"Kyuubi may have been a ugly bastard fox, but it was _my_ ugly bastard fox."

A sound akin to tree branches cracking filled the air.

**We are the same.**

You're not. You aren't even in the same class as the old fox. You're a pitiful tool wielded by this husk of a planet clinging to the wistful ideology that you still belong to yourself. But that isn't the case. You belong to us. We are strong, and we exceed your will.

My soul ignites.

Quite literally.

The will power of a thousand generations of mankind, of those gone, present and to be threatens to overwhelm me. But threats are just that, they're potential dangers. I am a potential danger to the entity before me. It knows it. It knew it before I arrived. This confrontation has been preordained since before the dawn of my civilization. The fulcrum where the Will of the Planet and the Will of Humanity meet.

"So, what do I call you? Juubi?"

**We have no title**.

Of course not. You don't have a will of your own, do you? You're just a puppet.

But then, That is all I am now as well.

A cool breeze flows past me, ruffling my hair and my coat. It's oddly soothing like the caress of a fondly remembered lover. It plays against my skin in a dance of absent minded joy.

"I don't suppose you're willing to just surrender, are you?"

Gravity suddenly becomes a thousand times stronger than it should be. Everything is being crushed into the earth. Even the air itself is being pulled down. Beneath me the sand compacts down and walls of sepia rise up around me. No, that isn't it. They aren't rising. I'm sinking.

This is not the planet's full will.

This is a fraction that it is able to exert.

**We will not cease**

That's because The White Beast isn't part of the planet. It isn't it's brother, or sister, or mother, or uncle, it isn't even it's friend. It is a creation that cannot exceed the entity that created it. It is unable to tap the full power of the planet.

And that is why It will never defeat me I hold the Will of Humanity. I am the Guardian who cannot be defeated. The White Beast may have been called into existence from humanities sins and destructive nature but it cannot surpass us.

Nothing is allowed to destroy us.

**We can destroy you.**

Not even our own will.

I released my hold on the Will. And the world around me ceased to exist.

No, that is not it. It has been suppressed. The Sand. The Sky. The Air. Even Time itself.

This is the World of Will.

This is where Humanity triumphs.

This is where The White Beast is defeated again.

This is where I will die.

This is not what I wanted.

This is all that I can do.

**The Summoning  
**

**

* * *

  
**

I stare into the distance.

A beautiful night stretches out in front of me. An endless darkness. It's a peaceful night. The sound of wind rustling trees branches is soothing and melodic. The moon hangs high above in the sky. It is wondrous. What a beautiful moment.

There is no pain or death, no agony that needs to be relieved, what a beautiful and tender moment. I've not had one since I had been cast from the mortal coil. A shallow breath escapes my lips. The first one. It congeals in the air as a puff of mist. I inhaled through my nose and the nostalgic scent of pine teases the senses. Beneath me a set of stone stairs flow down in a descent to the darkness below. Even with the moonlight cascading down it is hard to see beyond.

It takes me a few moments to notice, but there is a presence behind me. How odd. This place. It feels familiar. A resonance pulses out from the land beneath my feet as to answer. It thrums through my body like a livewire. I exhale again.

There is a presence behind me. It is not doing anything to hide itself. It does not move at all. I turn my head to the side.

"Are you the one who brought me into this paradise?" I ask softly. The words roll from my lips. This voice that hasn't been used in an eternity still works.

"Paradise? I would hardly call it such a thing." A feminine voice, soft, gentle not harsh from screaming or punctuated by gouts of blood spewing from wounds.

"How can you say that when you sound so beautiful?" I ask casually and turn the rest of the way.

She stands atop the stairs, under a redwood arch. Cloaked in a dark purple robe of finery. Ornaments of gold adorn her robes and a thin strip of black material fits to the nape of her neck. I can see but the barest hint of her features under her hood. The slender curve of her hips hints towards a soft thin build. Not fit by any measure, but no doubt attractive.

She doesn't react to my words, or the flow of my gaze over her body.

"I imagine anything alive would be beautiful to you, wouldn't it, Uzumaki Naruto?"

I blink in surprise before a small smile appears on my lips. "So you are the reason I was summoned?"

"I am." She answered after a pregnant moment of silence. "I am your Master in this world. I summoned you in order to do my bidding. From now on you shall not be known as Uzumaki Naruto, but Assassin. As you are a servant you should have been updated on the current situation by the Holy Grail. Do you have any questions?"

As if cued by her words a rush of information bombarded my mind.

The Holy Grail War.

An all out brawl between seven Magus and their Servants.

Magus, magic users of this age.

Servants; Heroic spirits who exist outside of time.

The Seven Classes;

Archer.

Assassin.

Berserker.

Caster.

Lancer.

Rider.

Saber.

The Holy Grail, a relic with the capacity to grant ones wishes.

I am Assassin Class.

She is also like me. A Servant. Only a Magus can summon a servant, thus she is a also a Magic-User. She is Caster, the servant who's capacity of magic exceeds the limits of what is possible for a Magus of this day and age.

"You are Caster, are you not?" I ask calmly.

A smooth smile appears on an expressionless visage, hidden under her hood. "I am Caster." She agrees.

"Why did you summon me?" I ask my second question.

"I summoned you to guard my camp. Whether servant or master, you shall allow no one to pass this gate, do you understand?" There is a certain weight to her words, almost like the very act of speaking them compels me to obey. The compulsion isn't so strong that I can't resist. But doing so would provoke her into using one of her Command Spells to force me.

I incline my head. "I do, Master. I shall protect these gates from any intruders who seek to do harm to my pretty master. It is the least I can do for the one who raised me from Perdition." A sense of irritation emanates from Caster for a moment, before it vanishes and she turns away. "Would it be acceptable if I took a moment to survey the city?" I can't help the eager tone that slips into my voice.

She pauses for a moment and without turning back speaks to me. "Perform your duties as commanded. And I suggest you keep your impudent mouth shut."

What a peculiar woman, I muse as she walks away. But, I have no complaints. She didn't use one of the command spells so as long as I give some measure of protection to this gate I should be able to do as I wish.

But it's dark now, and cold, now that I notice it. It should not be too much of a worry. This body doesn't have to remain material. The base component of this existence is my soul. A twinge of unrest surfaces within me at the concept of reverting to a spirit form. I think, even if it does give a measure of discomfort, I will remain as I am for now.

A sigh escaped my lips as I slump down against the stone steps beneath me.

It really is a beautiful night.

* * *

**Fate/eternia**

**Prologue**

**

* * *

  
**

I ended up staying awake all night, watching the sky. It did not take long for the sun to peak its head up from the horizon. In addition, I now know which way is east. That can be useful to know. Like, if you are going to doze off you can be sure not to face the direction of the sun in the morning. So that you don't get awoken by the unpleasant brightness.

But, I didn't get woken up by the bright sunlight, because I didn't sleep.

After a few hours I did begin to notice movement though, from inside the temple.

Eventually a single person, a boy, probably not even twenty began to make his way towards the temple gate. He is definitely still in school; I can tell this because of my acute observation skills which easily pick up that he is, in fact, wearing a uniform. Tanned pants with a matching coat and a simple white shirt.

It is a simple uniform.

He has black hair, and elegant features. His eyes are sharp and are framed with glasses of a simple nature, ovals. They suit him.

Before I can even consciously decide to, I can feel one of my inherent techniques folding over me and in an instant, I match the boy's age, and outfit. I glance down at my hands. Sure enough a softer look has touched them, they are smaller, if only slightly, and my frame is decorated with the uniform.

Henge used to be such a simple technique, a simple illusion overlaid the user and that sufficed, but this. This is something more. I can feel it, the texture has changed, as has the dimensions of my body, and the material of my clothes. How odd it is, that I have not used this technique since I was alive and like second nature it takes a hold of me.

My musings, while short as they were, took enough time that the boy noticed me, sitting on the steps in front of the gate. He has a stern look, though it seems he is not quite awake yet. He cannot manage to look me in the eye and retain that look, not when he yawns a moment later.

"What are you doing?" He asks accusingly, and after a moment of pause, he shakes his head. "Shouldn't you be at school?" he rephrases his words without a hint of remorse.

I grin. "I'm new in town, and I'm not sure where the school is so..." I trailed off and gestured out towards the city. "I figured I'd see if I could see the school from here."

It is a cop out of an explanation, and yet somehow, he buys it.

He nods acceptingly.

"Homurabara Gakuen, correct?"

I smile and nod. "That's the one."

He nods to himself. "That is the school I attend," he informs me, "You're welcome to join me on the walk towards school."

That's troublesome.

I figured he would just tell me where the school was and be on his very way. What a nice person he is.

I smile broadly and stand up. "I'd appreciate that!"

No more words are said, and he begins to walk down the stairs.

I follow after a moment and skip a few steps so I'm walking beside him. I glance back up at the gate as we walk. As I walk a spark of my essence flows out from behind me leaving me weaker, barely noticeable, but it was still there. The immaterial essence cascaded upon itself until it forms itself into a suitable vessel, suitable being a copy of all I am.

A figure appears at the top of the steps.

Cerulean eyes stare down at me, jovial and good natured. A light smile plays upon their lips and cascades of blonde spikes threaten to overwhelm their vision. A sweeping haori of red with stylized flames of black lapping at the tail covers them.

How odd. Do I really look like that? I look pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

Although, that may be my pathological love of orange talking.

My counterpart flickered and disappears after a moment.

It's still there, just hidden and at the very least Master shouldn't be able to tell that I so readily abandoned my post at the slightest drop of a hat.

By the time we reach the bottom of the massive set of stairs a few minutes have passed. We walked them in silence. Ah, that's right. I forgot to introduce myself. People do that, I'm sure.

"I'm Naruto, by the way!" I said as he hit the street. I smile at my companion as he turns to me, and stick my hand out. "Nice to meet you."

A suspicious look overtakes the boy's visage as I hold my hand out.

I frown internally.

Did I do something wrong? I'm sure that the correct procedure was maintained. Introduced self, Extend hand, yes that's right. Perhaps I'm performing the incorrect actions for the time, or the place, or the state of politics.

"Ryuudou Issei," the boy says after a moment of consideration, and he shifts his back to his opposite hand and grasps my hand firmly. "Good to meet you."

Ah, I see. I did nothing wrong. That's a relief.

I smile gratefully and we continue on our way in silence.

A few streets pass by. It's fun to just look at things, without having to blow them up.

"By the way, I wasn't informed that we had a new exchange student." Issei said suddenly, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. "Do you know why that is?"

A confused look registered on my face. "Why would you?"

Issei's chest puffed up with pride. "I am the Student Body president of Homurabara Gakuen." He informd me. Before his look became neutral again and he stared at me, waiting for an answer.

Oh.

Oh fuck.

He's unexpectedly devious.

"Maybe the paperwork didn't go through," I offer with a frown, and fold my arms across my chest. "If that's the case it'll be troublesome," I lament.

He seems suspicious, but he relents.

He smiles again, and continues to look at me.

"That's a possibility," he nodded acceptingly, before smiling again. "Where is your bag?"

My... bag?

My eyes flicker to the bag he carries in one of his hands.

My bag.

The bag that doesn't exist on account of me not actually being a student.

Well,

Fuck,

Again.

I bite my bottom lip hesitantly.

Issei's look of suspicion remains for a few moments before he chuckles in amusement. "You're very absent minded," he informs me with a friendly tone. "Because it's your first day I imagine you're a bit nervous, right? It's understandable that you'd forget your belongings, but you should take care to be extra diligent to make up for it." He informs me with an air of responsibility.

Really, what an odd kind of guy.

We end up walking in amicable silence. On one side of us is the forest, and the other side is Fuyuki, or rather, the suburban area. However, the area closest doesn't seem to be for that purpose. In the distance I can see the built up areas.

But that isn't here. There are a few acres of green grassland, with a few houses built on them.

Instead of walking towards the houses we take a turn south, and follow he edge of the forest. Eventually a large building comes into sight from.

And then another exactly like it, beside it.

The school is large and white. The front of it is lined with groomed trees, and the gate itself is black and embedded in an offsite stone.

There are two buildings situated in the front. Each of them sit side by side. They're white, with a grey tiled sloping top, and three stories high. On the side of the further most right one I can see a glass pane down the side that reveals a staircase. I can only imagine it's the same for the one on the left.

The entrance is open; on the left site is a plaque that has bled rust onto the white of the concrete wall it is affixed to. The ground for the entrance area is bricked over, and leads to the school and to a car park on the right. A single lamp post sits on the brick path surrounded by a small well trimmed hedge.

Issei walks onto the school premise without hesitation and I follow him. We pass the two front buildings and walk onwards. A secondary building appears attached to the right front building. Unlike the predecessor the top of it isn't tiled instead a grey mesh fence surrounds it.

There are a few more buildings around.

On the right side there seems to be an archery range, and on the left a single story building that has a few adjacent buildings attached to itself.

Which is where it seems Issei is taking me.

We enter through the front and it takes me a few moments to realize.

It's an office.

Probably the administration building for the school.

He is very sneaky,

or very helpful.

The front desk in unmanned. It looks like nobody has arrived yet.

That's good.

It makes it much easier.

As before I separate a slither of my energy and form it into an immaterial clone of myself.

The newly created clone knows what I know.

So it knows it needs to go into the rooms beyond, find the student documentation and make a shiny new entry for one Uzumaki Naruto. Soon to be known as Namikaze Naruto.

Issei turns to me, oblivious to the fact a spectre just walked right through him. I wonder why I did that. I could have easily walked around him.

"The staff should arrive soon," he informs me. He pushes his glasses up his nose. "I'll wait for them to arrive and hand you over."

Sounds like I'm a prisoner.

Isn't it my responsibility as a prisoner to revolt and flee? It'd probably be counterproductive. Though, I can't help but wonder why I'm still here. I guess it could be called a pointless whim. I'm not that inclined to deviate from it. Like a devious delinquent, it'd be detrimental to my determination, after all.

...or something like that.

"So, what can you tell me about the school?" I ask casually.

Issei smiles.

And I tune him out as he starts to talk.

Which isn't to say I'm ignoring him. I am simply delegating the responsibility of collecting the information he is providing to a lower level of my consciousness.

"The clubs are usually the first to arrive," he explains. "There are athletic clubs, scholastic and hobbies."

That's handy to know.

I wonder if there is a 'throw pointy objects at people' club.

"Usually the only clubs that arrive early in the morning are the athletic clubs." He lectures me. "We passed the track team on the way through the grounds. The manager of the team is Saegusa-san."

I wonder if he realizes that a name of a person I haven't met means nothing to me.

His diatribe is cut off short as the doors to the office open and a pretty woman in her mid twenties enters. She has short brown hair and a pleasant deamour. The oddest thing I can see is that she is wearing a yellow and dark green stripped shirt, under a dress of a lighter shade of green. I can't help but stare.

"Oh, Ryuudou-san." She says in surprise as she notices Issei.

"Good morning, Fujimura-sensei." Issei replies politely.

"Yes, good morning, Ryuudou-kun. I'm so happy you greet me properly." The smile that appears on her face really does add honesty to her words. She clasps her hands together and continues to smile. Is she really a teacher here? I wish I had a teacher like her when I was in the Academy. Her good-natured smile is infectious, in a way.

"Is there an incorrect way to greet you, sensei?" Issei asks in surprise.

The woman identified as Fujimura drops her hands and pouts like a child. "Of course there is. First years always greet me properly, but the older ones never greet me by my last name. You shouldn't copy their rudeness, okay?"

Issei seems offended that such a thing could occur.

He seems to be stumped in silence.

Fujimura finally takes notice of me. She looks surprised for a moment, before a welcoming smile takes shape.

"Who are you?" She asks in a surprisingly blunt manner.

"I'm Namikaze Naruto, Fujimura-sensei." She becomes delirious with joy again. "I'm a new transfer-student," I inform her.

She sighs contently and ignores me.

"I wish everyone was as respectful as you both," she murmurs, before she blinks.

And stares at me as if I had grown another head.

"That's impossible," she informs me. "We don't have any students transferring in." She says so confidently. Before frowning, and bringing a hand up to her lips. She bites down on a finger nervously. "Did I forget?" she murmurs under her breath.

She turns to Issei and smiles again, while nice to see it doesn't hold the same splendour as her previous Fujimura-sensei smiles. "Thank you for assisting Namikaze-san, Ryuudou-san." She says pleasantly.

"I will go to the student council room," he informs us before saying good bye."

Fujimura-sensei watches as Issei leaves, and then, when the door is shut and he cannot be seen she turns back to me with a friendly smile. "I'm Fujimura Taiga." She introduces herself and sticks her hand out towards me.

I stare at it for a moment, surprised, before I smile genuinely and clasp it lightly. "Namikaze Naruto." I introduce myself again and bring the offered hand up to my lips. I lay a light kiss upon the knuckle and let it go.

The hand hovers in the air, and a stunned look appears on Fujimura Taiga's face. Slowly a blush filtered onto her cheeks, and she drops her hand.

I must have done something wrong. She looks at me like I've grown another head, and then.

She smiles.

"Namikaze-kun, you're a good boy," she says in an honest way.

I feel like a dog.

None the less it's put her in an even better mood.

"Let's go find your papers." Without another word she all but skips off to locate the papers.

Which... are three rooms behind the desk, adjacent to a break room.

An influx of memories touch upon my mind in a sense od déjà-vu.

For example. I also now know that the papers were located in a filing cabinet, and that Ryuudou Issei is in the third year, which, I am, according to the newly fabricated documents, am also in. I also have the strangest craving for a walk through a park. I do not know why. Though, it could be said that I haven't walked through a park in a long time, and am well entitled to do so.

There is a crashing sound, and a few minutes later Fujimura Taiga emerges from the rooms beyond the desks with a file in her hands

"I found it!" she declares happily. "It was on the floor." I knew that already, I put it there, after all.

She flips it open and takes a quick look through it. She seems happy enough with the forgery.

And then, she frowns.

"It doesn't list your residency?" she says surprised, before looking up at me for an answer.

"I'm staying at temporary accommodation right now," I lie through my teeth. She continues to frown but doesn't make a deal out of it.

"Everything seems fine, except that I wasn't aware you were transferring in." She frowns hard and stares down at the document accusingly, as if it was it's fault for the unexpected event. "Which is odd since you're in my rollcall?" She states, questioning the words written on the documentation.

She snaps it shut after a moment and drops it onto the office desk. She turns to me and clasps her hands together and beams at me. "It doesn't matter, does it Namikaze-kun?" her voice takes on a song-like quality. "Since you're new you don't have a club right?" She stares at me expectantly. "Do you want to join the club I manage?" she beams at me as she asks.

"Okay." I agree easily. "What kind of club do you run?"

"Archery," she answers helpfully.

"With bow and arrows?" I ask with a grin.

She gives me a funny look, as if I asked a particularly dumb question. Which, I suppose it was.

She dismisses it after a moment and begins to walk towards the exit, before pausing and frowning. After a few moments her eyes widen in surprise and she smiles at me apologetically. "Namikaze-kun, I'm afraid I have a bit of work to do before I head to the Archery range, are you able to make it there by yourself?"

"I saw it on the way here," I inform her. She nods happily before a serious look overtakes her.

"If I get there and you aren't there it's the death penalty, okay?" She mimics a gun with her fingers and points it at me. With a wink she says "Bang!" and turns away, laughing to herself. She walks off behind the front desk and disappears into the rooms beyond.

Fujimura Taiga is a nice, if odd woman. I decide.

If I was going to disappear now would be the time to do it. Issei is gone to do Student-stuff and Fujimura is gone to do Teacher-stuff. I don't want to disappear and sit on the sidelines of life while I have the chance to spend it casually. This kind of boring stuff, I like. I think I do anyway. It's different than usual. No gore or screams. Even Fujimura's death threat was pleasant and light-hearted.

It isn't too much trouble, to spend my time here, I think. As long as Master doesn't notice I'm gone it will be fine.

However. It seems as though I might not have enough time to enjoy this. The casual pace and the lack of tension is easing it. But I can feel my energy draining, far faster than it should be. The energy I had would have sustained my for twenty more days and nights. I retain half of that. The other half remains at the temple disguising my absence. Even as I stand, still I can feel the energy draining away. What should be a second is ten seconds. What was be a minute was ten minutes. What will be an hour will be ten hours. If I remain outside of the temple for a day it will be ten days.

And I will disappear.

Ignoring the half of my mana that remains at the Temple Gate I have, since leaving the temple grounds, lost three and a half hours worth of energy in the span of twenty minutes. I could survive off the grounds for a single day in my current state. Or two full days if I had all my mana available to me.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

I reach out with my senses.

I touch the ground, the air, things that don't exist in the physical realm. Mana saturates the very world around me. It is always like that. This in my time was called 'Natural Energy'. Everyplace has it. It is everywhere. Though, there are some areas where it is especially potent. Ryuudou Temple happens to be one of them.

Here, in the school, I can feel the energy coursing through the air and earth. I still my body, my muscles, and breath and slowly breath in. Like a gentle summer breeze, the mana in the air and earth draws towards me. To an outsider it would seem as though I am inhaling the mana.

That is not the case. In opening myself up to the world I become a part of the world. A hole that throws off equalization. To rebalance the worlds mana pours into me until I am level with the world.

Right now that is not the case.

There is no 'full'.

I am a hole with a hole in my hole. Whatever I draw is immediately spent. While it allows me to maintain my mana level, it does not allow me to do anything else.

I am a statue.

If I move I will stop drawing upon the world, and once again the world will greedily sink its fangs into me.

But I need to move. I need to do something. Or else, being in such a position is pointless.

It takes very little consideration before I open my eyes and begin to walk out of the building. Like a plug being pulled my mana levels begin to plummet again at a steady, if too fast pace.

The school is still mostly empty. People are beginning to arrive. The track team are still making their way around the yard, and it looks like the Archery Dojo is open. It has an excitable vibe to it. A steady thrum of positive energy. The building is in good condition, and even when compared to the rest of the school is particularly impressive. It's fair to say that on first glance it is obvious that it is a place of training. Training of what however is another matter entirely.

There are no obvious signs from the front that it is an Archery range.

The entrance is open, and on either side is a metal grill that has been folded away so people can enter.

The front is covered by a wooden awning, which itself is covered by a set of tiles. As I approach it I absently reach up and run my fingers over the grain of the pillars of wood that the cover up. A light dusty film sticks to my fingers. The kind that you find on certain wooden structures. My village had a lot of buildings like that, there is a certain nostalgia to the feel as I rub my fingers together and ball the dust up.

The floor inside the dojo is clean and glossy. It has a pleasant feel to it. That isn't to say any other part of the interior of the dojo doesn't match that kept nature. To the side there are a few low level tables. The other side of the dojo opens up into a range. Like the interior of the dojo it is well kept, the grass that covers the distance between the wooden floor and the targets is short and green.

I notice, after my observations that I am not alone.

Inside the dojo at the side are two girls. They're sitting at one of the tables. Between them there are two empty cups, and aside a pot. They noticed me a while ago. They look to me in suspicion. Perhaps it's because I have a new face that hasn't been seen before.

"Can I help you?" One of them asks me, her voice containing a small measure of annoyance.

The one that speaks has brown hair that falls to her just above her shoulders. She has angular hazel eyes and a cute if not sharp face. She is wearing the school uniform, thus is a student.

"Fujimura-sensei told me to come here." I explain to her with a pleasant smile.

She stares at me long and hard before her demeanour relaxes. She turns her gaze from me to the girl sitting opposite her on the table. The second girl is wearing a red coat over her school uniform. She has long black hair that reaches the small of her back. Parts are done up into twin tails, tied up by black ribbons. She has a slightly smaller frame than the first girl. Although that could be an optical illusion due to her smaller breasts.

"I should probably take care of this." The first girl says to the second, before glancing back at me.

I seem to have interrupted them.

The black haired girl calmly rises from the table in a smooth motion. "That's fine," she says. "It's almost time for the club members to arrive, right? I'll get going, but you stay and be a good captain." Her voice, while steady, cultured and measured has a certain taunting quality to it. Like that between good friends.

The brown haired girl furrows her brow. "What, you're not going to stay and watch?" She says in disappointment.

"I wouldn't understand. Watching from a distance is fine, but outsiders shouldn't be in the range, should they?"

The brown haired one glances at me. "It doesn't seem to stop them, does it?"

What a lowblow. I'm only here because Taiga threatened to shoot me with her finger pistol.

As they talk someone approaches from the outside of the front entrance.

"Good morning, Captain." A quiet polite and feminine voice echoes.

So the brown haired one is the Captain. I suppose I should make a good impression.

Or perhaps I shouldn't.

That could be fun. Fun but troublesome.

The Archery Captains gaze switches from me to the newcomer. "Ah, morning, Matou. You're alone this morning?"

"...Yes. I'm sorry I couldn't be of help." The newcomers voice takes on an apologetic quality.

"It's okay. If he doesn't want to come, there's no point forcing him to." The captain laments

I feel like such a side character, being ignored like this.

"Well, I'll be going. See you later, Mitsuzuri-san." The black haired one says as she begins to leave.

I for the first time see her face. For a moment light blue eyes match my gaze, and then sweep away in a single motion. Her face holds a calm and reserved demeanour.

"Yeah, see you later, Tohsaka."

"..Thank you for coming, Tohsaka-Senpai."

"Thanks. You take care too, Sakura."

Mitsuzuri. Tohsaka, and Sakura. In one fell sweep I have learned the names of the Captain of the Archery Club, Mitsuzuri. The black haired girl, Tohsaka. And the newcomer, behind me, who I haven't bothered to take notice off, Sakura.

Tohsaka leaves soon after saying her good-byes. Leaving me alone with Mitsuzuri and 'Sakura'.

Wait.

Sakura.

I knew someone by that name.

Haruno Sakura.

My teammate. My one time crush. My... friend.

I turn away from those thoughts as quickly as they appear. The present isn't anytime for the past.

"Are you going to answer?"

I snap out of my stupor to find the Captain of the Archery Club facing me and talking to me. She has an annoyed expression.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?"

She stares at me for a moment, before sighing resignedly. "What's your name?" she asks, again.

"Namikaze Naruto." I introduce myself with a smile and hold out my hand to her.

She looks at the offered hand for a second in silent. Before smiling in amusement and clasping it. "You're a weird guy, aren't you?" She says such a rude thing easily.

I like her.

"Like you wouldn't believe," I agree.

"Mitsuzuri Ayako." She introduces herself.

She lets go of my hand and gestures behind me. "And this, is-"

"Matou Sakura." I interrupt her with the skill of a professional. I turn towards the otherwise unseen but known occupant of the Archery Dojo.

Ah.

I stare, I can't help it.

This is what you call 'sympathy at first sight' isn't it?

Matou Sakura is shorter than me. By a little less than half a foot. She has lavender hair, that falls just beyond her shoulders. A dark pink ribbon ties part of her hair back and reveals the gentle curve of her neck. Her eyes are the same shade as her hair, and her facial structure is soft and lovely.

She is... stunningly pretty. And stunningly broken.

I can see behind her composed outward expression. The shy and timid look that she displays. The reserved and stoic positioning of her facial features. The clasping hands held in front of her.

Something awful has happened to this one in front of me. And she endures.

I feel a prod at my arm, and I suddenly realize I've stared too long, and that the target of my stare has visibly become nervous.

"You're staring." Ayako points out.

"Sorry," I apologise and smile sheepishly. I reach back and scratch the back of my head.

Sakura smiles kindly and bows ever so slightly. "Nice to meet you, Namikaze-san."

"The pleasure is all mine." I insist and hold out my hand.

She stares at it for a moment, her smile falling, before she reaches forwards and clasps it softly. A gentle current passes from her hand to mine. I give her hand a gentle squeeze and let go. She stares. "Please take good care of me," I say in jest. She looks away and a faint blush tinges her cheeks.

"Matou, can you watch him while I go and unlock the equipment?" Ayako interrupts our heartfelt moment.

Sakura draws back her hand and nods to her captain, smiling slightly.

Ayako leaves the main area of the dojo.

"So," I remark casually. "You're a magus?"

Matou Sakura freezes.

Metaphorically, of course, or rather, her movement does. Though, considering the weather and how chilly it is it isn't inappropriate to suggest otherwise.

"W-what?" She is startled, her eyes are wide and her shoulders are trembling. She averts her eyes from me. "I don't know what you mean." She says, denying my question.

I reach up and scratch my cheek. "Sorry, I didn't realize you'd react that way to the question."

The purple haired girl stares at me, her expression going blank.

"I am not a magus." She states firmly and resolutely.

"I understand." I smile reassuringly.

It does little good. She stares at me distressed. Her eyes alert.

"Do you have something you want to ask me?"

She bites her bottom lip.

"You're not a magus." She states clearly.

"I'm a ninja," I inform her helpfully. I am also a ervant, but I don't think I'll tell her that.

She stares at me distressed still, but that's okay.

I step forwards and wrap my arms around her.

She stiffens and goes rigid.

"I won't tell anyone," I say quietly into her ear. "I promise."

She relaxes, ever so slightly, despite the embrace from a stranger.

"Why are you here, Namikaze-san?" she asks in a barely audible voice.

"Naruto," I urge her to call me.

She bites her bottom lip. "why are you here, Naruto-san?"

I step back and hold her at arm's length. I smile in amusement, after all, she has asked a silly question. "I am here to go to school," I inform her tauntingly.

Her eyes go hollow for a moment, before a spark of will finds itself within them again.

She nods mutely and lowers her gaze.

"Sakura-chan," I say the name lightly with a tinge of fondness, before I shake my head in bemusement. "Doesn't feel right to call you that. I used to have a friend named Sakura," I tell her.

She doesn't react.

"So what should I call you?" I ask her kindly.

This is what is called 'allowing a target to define a relationship'.

She doesn't answer straight away.

I drop my hands from her shoulder and gently nudge her chin up. "Hey," I protest. "Don't be so sad."

Her gaze raises and meets mine.

I feel like I'm staring into the black space between the stars in the night sky.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I tell her. "I'm going to protect you."

"If... you want me to." I finish resolutely.

Her stare flickers with something akin to anguish.

She bows her head.

"Please take good care of me Namikaze-san."

That is... unfortunate. Her words do not match her heart.

The words that say 'Please help me, stranger.'

And the heart that says 'Please leave me alone, stranger.'

This isn't fiction, so I suppose such simple words with simple intentions can't reach something that is broken.

If this was back in my day I'd have punched her until we were friends.

I know for certain, that that is not how people become friends these days.

I suppose I'll have to take the long road to make a new friend, this time.

Angry footsteps bang against the hardwood floor from the entrance.

I drop my hand from Sakura's chin and take a step back, smiling at her reassuringly as I do.

"Who the hell are you?" An angry, unpleasantly violant voice demands.

I turn towards the entrance.

Ah, this is what you call 'enmity at first sight' isn't it?

A blue haired boy is stomping on. He has the features of what you'd call a 'pretty boy' and has an aura of unpleasantness about him. His gaze is directed at me, though, when he notices Sakura it flares up ever so slightly. He reaches us and grabs for Sakura's arm.

Or tries to.

As he tries he finds a hand firmly gripping his wrist.

Mine to be specific.

"What are you doing?" I ask him calmly.

He sneers and yanks his arm out of my grip. Or tries to. He fails and manages to hurt himself.

He takes a moment and recomposes himself and looks down upon me. Which is a feat, considering that he is shorter than me. "She's my sister, stay out of family business." He says such a thing like it matters.

I sigh and as he attempts to yank his arm free again, I let go. He stumbles backwards. "Jeez, if you're her brother that means what you're doing is worse. A brother is supposed to protect his sister," I lecture him condescendingly.

He stares at me in undisguised loathing.

"What are you doing here," he repeats with faux calm. "Outsiders aren't supposed to be in the dojo." He pauses and actually looks at me for the first time. "I've never seen you before either," he states.

I smile widely and hold out my hand to him. "I'm Namikaze Naruto," I introduce myself. "I'm a new transfer student. Please treat me well."

The look he gives is worth of being remembered, the anger, the rage, the indignation. Plus, he doesn't shake my hand. What a bastard.

"That doesn't explain what you're doing here," he all but spits out.

"Fujimura-sensei told me to come here," I answer easily, with no small measure of satisfaction.

He grits his teeth together, and after a moment he gives a brittle smile. "Welcome to the club," he says through gritted teeth and turns to face Sakura. "Sakura," he barks out. "You shouldn't associate with strangers, do you understand?"

Before Sakura can react I hold up my hand.

"That would be my fault," I admit easily and without fault. "I was the one who started talking to her."

He glares at me before sneering and stomping off again. I can't help but notice that he doesn't try to grab her arm again. I feel a measure of satisfaction.

I glance to Sakura again, she is biting her bottom lip.

I smile at her, though she can't see. "I told you I'd protect you."

She casts her gaze down further, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like 'thank you' under her breath.

An awkward sort of silence sets in between us. It's soon broken by the return of Ayako. As she appears from the store room she casts Sakura's brother an annoyed look. A second later she approaches him and begins berating him for not cleaning up the equipment store.

"So," I begin to say. "What's your brother's name?" I ask her casually.

"Shinji," she answers. The way the name falls from her lips feels unpractised.

The sound of more footsteps from the front of the dojo echo inwards, the rest of the club seems to be arriving. Soon a steady stream of students walks in chatting amongst themselves. I receive a few speculatory glances as they see me, but soon I am dismissed and they walk on.

I notice that Sakura is beginning to get nervous again. "Go on," I urge her. "You want to practice right?"

She nods and then moves away, to the back of the room, where Ayako had reappeared.

Standing in the middle of a dojo as people walk around me seems pointless.

But I don't know where to go.

Thankfully the choice is taken out of my hands.

"Namikaze-kun!" a voice exclaims happily.

I turn towards the door.

Fujimura Taiga has come.

And she is happy.

All is good with the world.

"Fujimura-sensei." I greet her.

She all but flutters.

"I'm glad you came," she informs me. She looks around the dojo, her eyes sparkling. "Have you already met everyone?"

I scratch my cheek. "I've met Ayako, Shinji and Sakura."

She nods in approval. "Our captain, vice captain and Sakura-chan. I approve."

Sakura's brother is the vice-captain? That's unpleasant.

I glance over towards him.

Sure enough, as his looks and personality dictates, a group of girls surrounds him, each hanging on his every word as one would expect. Also, not much of a surprise is his expression as he talks to them. One would call it fake. Though perhaps it isn't, Perhaps he is only satisfied when he is surrounded by pretty girls hanging on his every word.

Either way it isn't pleasant.

With a brother like that no wonder Matou Sakura is as she is.

Fujimura follows my gaze and she looks on in disapproval as well, but makes no move to break the group apart. "I'm glad you're not a playboy like Matou-kun, Namikaze-kun." Me too, I would probably have to friendship myself to death if I ever found myself like that.

For a small while Fujimura and I talk about small things. By the time the rest of the club has arrived, I've found myself genuinely affectionate for the teacher. She has a refreshingly genuine personality. Throughout our discussion I've noticed Shinji sending the occasional look of irritation at me.

It seems what he was waiting for has finally arrived.

"Taiga-sensei, is it true that you've invited a new member without consulting the vice-captain?" Shinji says loudly, catching every members attention easily.

Fujimura Taiga looks at the blue haired ass in surprise. "Is it a problem?"

Shinji smiles. "Sensei, it's just, we don't know if he can even shoot a bow." He glances towards me. "Have you ever used a bow before?"

"Nope," I answer cheerfully.

He smiles in a somewhat victorious way. "You see, Tiger? How can we attract some good talent in the new term if we pick up free loaders?"

There is a general consensus that agrees with Shinji.

Fujimura-sensei stares blankly at Shinji. And a sudden look of fear manifests itself on his face.

"Who the hell are you calling Tiger?!" Taiga roars. "If I say he can join than he can join!"

Shinji flinches and steps back. Taiga glares at him sullenly.

Matou Shinji is taken aback, and after a few seconds recomposes himself and tries his luck again.

"It'd be fair to let him to try and fail before we kick him out of the club, at the least."

He is finding more and more ways to annoy me.

"That's fair." I agree easily.

I turn towards Taiga and smile. "It's fair, right Fujimura-sensei?"

She switches her gaze from Shinji to me and her glare is lost. She looks at me for a moment, before smiling and nodding. "It's fair." She agrees, but not before casting Shinji another mild glare.

She doesn't approve of Shinji, I like her more and more.

"Can I borrow a bow?"

One of the nearby members, a somewhat plain looking girl moves forwards and attempts to hand me her bow. It is an odd black bow made of carbon fibre. I don't even wonder how I know what it is when before today I had never seen such a thing.

"Hold on." Shinji stops the girl from handing over the bow. "It's an unfair advantage to use such a good piece of equipment." He explains. He smiles at me coldly. "It's only fair if he uses some of the dojo equipment, since he didn't bring his own." He pauses and regards me. "You didn't bring a bow, did you?"

"I didn't," I agree. "I just asked if I could borrow a bow, didn't I?

He glares at me, but his smile widens all the same.

He goes back into the equipment room, and a minute later he returns with a bow in hand. A wooden one that looks like it is worn to it's limits. He thrusts it in my hand along with a quiver of three arrows.

He gestures towards the range, and with an annoyed look barks for the members to get out of the way.

He turns back to me and smiles viciously. "Whenever you're ready, Naruto-kun." It's the first time he's said my name. And it feels like a leech is crawling over my skin as it leaves his throat.

I step around him and move towards the range. "Do I stand here?" I ask.

Another member attempts to instruct me, but again Shinji interrupts. "Don't tell him." He says harshly.

"You stand a bit closer, and in front of the target."

"Who sai-" Shinji begins to ask angrily, before he's confronted by someone he hadn't seemed to expect.

Mitsuzuri Ayako glares at Shinji and silences him with her look. "Vice-captain, please step back and allow me to instruct our newest recruit."

Shinji is taken aback by Ayako's sudden interruption.

He grits his teeth and smiles at Ayako. "Of course, Mitsuzuri."

Ayako approaches me and assists me with getting ready. She begins to lecture me on the proper motions and technique to draw the bow.

"Thank you for helping, Ayako, but I think I've got it." I smile at her genuinely.

She stares at me hard, appraising my words, before nodding and stepping back.

She smiles. "Good luck Naruto-kun." She says with a smile.

A sound is made from the crowd. "Hey," Taiga protests quietly. "Not even I call him Naruto-kun yet." She seems disappointed that someone is on better terms with me than she is. It's cute.

I draw an arrow from the quiver that sits on the ground and place it against the shaft of the bow. I draw back and take aim.

It seems simple enough. Draw. Aim Fire.

Breathe in.

Breath out.

Just like throwing kunai and shuriken.

Behind me I can hear some of the crowd chortling.

I line up the bullseye at the opposite end of the range and let loose the string.

There is a satisfying moment as the arrow is fired and the swish of it leaving the bow touches my ears, and a second one as the arrow strikes the target at the other side of the range.

I lower the bow and my arm and look on in surprise, and not-so-mild satisfaction.. The arrow struck the target on its dead centre. A fine shot if I do say so myself.

"Beginners luck!" Shinji snapped from somewhere behind me. "Take your next shot."

I turned and grinned at the blue haired boy. "If I get another bullseye how about I take your position as vice captain?"

He glares at me indignantly, before smiling a winning smile. "Of course," he agrees. "And if you get all three I'll let you go on a date with my sister."

"Matou!" Ayako snaps.

He glances to her dispassionately. "What?" he asks brazenly, before turning back to me. "If you miss them then you have to leave and never come back, alright?"

I grin.

"Sounds like a deal."

I pick up the second arrow, and take aim at the target down the range.

I steady my breath and gaze down the length of the arrow.

I take a moment to compose myself and draw the bow string back an extra inch.

The string all but slips from between my finger tips as I let go.

Swish.

Thud.

Crack.

The Archery club stares in slack-jawed surprise.

And I can't blame them. Not when my own lips have parted in equal amounts.

"T-that's impossible!" Shinji snarls. "You must have cheated some how!"

"Impossible?" I echo. "Extremely unlikely, maybe."

"No, that's impossible." He repeats angrily and stomps forwards. "They're not broadhead arrows, it's physically impossible to split an arrow with one!"

I gesture down the range, to the target, to where my second arrow is deep into the target, covered by the splinters of its predecessor. "Looks like it isn't."

He glares at me accusingly.

"Very impressive, Namikaze-kun!" Taiga exclaims, her voice happy, but confused. "You're a perfect fit for an archer!"

My cheeks tinge lightly at the praise.

Shinji attempts to snatch the bow from my hand.

I hold it away from him and smile widely. "Now, now Shinji-kun." I say, my voice sickly sweet. "I still have to win a date with your sister, don't I?" The anger on his face melts away.

"What did you say?" he asks quietly.

"You said if I get all three shots I'd get a date with your sister right?" I grin widely. "I've already got your Vice-Captain seat, so why not go for the third, final and best prize?"

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Matou Sakura ducking her head in embarrassment.

Shinji takes a step back. "I was kidding." He stammers.

I frown.

"You were?" I say with mock disappointment. "That's a shame.

I move to pick up the final arrow.

I wink at him. "Never leave a job half finished."

I set the arrow.

Draw the string.

And let loose.

Swish.

Thud.

I look on in mild disappointment.

My shot hits the outside of the bullseye.

"I was aiming for the middle again." I announce with disappointment.

I sigh and hand Shinji my bow. "I guess I wouldn't have gotten that date after all, eh, Shin-chan?"

He bristles in anger.

There is a low rumble of laughter from the rest of the club, that disappears as Shinji turns towards them.

"What are you all standing around for?" he snarls. "Don't you have practice to do?" he stomps off and thrusts the bow into the hands of one of the girls at the front, who doesn't seem incline to get in the way of the blue-haired dinosaurs rampage.

I stare after Shinji in obvious satisfaction.

The brown haired Ayako approaches with a smile of approval.

"Very nice shooting." She praises me. "But he was right you know." She glanced down the range. "That shouldn't have been possible." She grins at me and asks in a conspirator whisper. "Did you cheat?"

I laugh her question off. "I'm just very lucky," I tell her in amusement.

She laughs as well. "Some luck."

**The Classroom**

**

* * *

  
**

In the end, the Archery Club ends without further event and a bell rings.

The club members begin to file out of the dojo and head their separate ways. I'm left sitting with Taiga and watching everyone leave. I have a cup of tea in my hands. It's become cold since it's been poured. I haven't even sipped it. I wonder if that's considered bad manners.

Taiga sighs. "I suppose we should go as well, Namikaze-kun."

"Naruto." I say to her.

She stares at me in mild confusion.

"Call me Naruto," I insist.

Her eyes widen and she brings a hand up to her mouth. She covers a small laugh. "That's very forward of you Namikaze-kun."

I blink. "Is it?" I ask aloud.

She sighs and slowly straightens up. "I suppose that's what happens when you're mixed."

"...Mixed?" I echo.

She gives me a strange look.

Or rather, she looks at me as though I'm strange.

"One of your parents wasn't Japanese, correct?"

Technically neither were Japanese. "That's right."

She smiles and points at my nose. "You have blonde hair, blue eyes and tanned complexion!" she suddenly exclaims. "Clearly you're mixed race!" She puffs her chest up proudly and drops her hand.

"That's impressive," I say dryly. "How'd you figure that out Fujimura-sensei?"

She stares at me plainly before sighing. "I just told you, Namikaze-kun," she lectures me.

I...

I give up.

I surrender. I hold my hands up in defeat.

If I had a white flag I'd wave it.

"You win Fujimura-sensei." I inform her.

She smiles happily and claps her hands together once. "What's my prize?"

"You don't get one."

She pouts like a child. "What's the point in winning then?" She dismisses my answer pre-emptively with a wave of her hand. "We need to get to class," she informs me with a smile.

"Of course," I agree with her.

She begins to walk out of the dojo. We're the last two left. As I step out of the front she begins to close the gate behind me and locks it. Inside the archery equipment is still abound. I suppose They aren't finished with it for today.

We walk towards the school buildings chatting. Or rather, Taiga is the one who is talking. I am listening. A comment here and there and she doesn't realize it's a mostly one sided conversation.

Taiga smiles at me sincerely. "Have you decided what kind of bow you're going to get?" She asks me.

I scratch my cheek. I hadn't planned to actually buy one. "The one I used was pretty good," I inform her. "Do you think I could keep using it?"

She frowns. "It isn't the best quality," she informs me. "The balance is off and it tends to throw off shots."

"I did pretty good with it though, didn't I?" I grin at her.

She nods with a serious expression. "You did very well," she praises me. It's embarrassing to hear good words come from such a series expression. She smiles after a few moments. "You're in my homeroom and my club," she begins to say, before her expression becomes serious again. "If you become a delinquent I won't forgive you," she informs me.

"Is that like, a bad student?"

She nods. "If you get bad grades and skip classes I won't forgive you." She winks. "A thousand years of punishment."

I laugh and a few moments later Taiga follows in suit.

By the time I've noticed we're already inside the three story tall building and heading to the second floor. We pass very few students on the way. It seems as though most of them have already entered their classrooms.

I glance over at Taiga.

She seems to be in a good mood. She is holding a clipboard to her chest and has a small bounce in her step. She notices my glance and smiles at me. "Here we are, Namikaze-kun."

We've stopped in front of a classroom door. Inside I can hear people talking.

"Now, don't be nervous," she tells me. "And if you have any problems with anyone don't hesitate to call me, unless it's a girl or another boy being mean to you." She lectures. "If you're a man than you should grab a problem by its sides and shake it up and down until it begs for forgiveness."

What an oddly zen-like statement.

"Of course, Fujimura-sensei."

"Now just wait here, and when I call your name, enter, okay?"

I nod.

She beams at me and slides the door open.

"Good morning class!" She exclaims happily as she enters.

"Good morning Taiga-sensei!" The class returns the greeting.

I patiently wait to hear my name called.

Taiga begins to list off names, and after everyone someone replies with a 'here'. It's just like my old academy, except with less pointy objects. I smile in nostalgia.

"Namikaze-kun."

Ah, that's my cue.

I slide the door open and enter. I'm greeted with the sight of the classroom. Seats filled with teenagers with identical uniforms, and a single green, yellow and black adorned teacher at the head of the classroom. My gaze sweeps over the students and I catch a few familiar faces.

Ryuudou Issei smiles and nods his head almost imperceptibly.

Alternatively, Matou Shinji glares at me with barely restrained contempt.

A small frown touches my lips.

It seems Ayako isn't here. That's a shame. I recognize a few other faces from the archery club, but no one I've talked with.

I smile at the group and raise a hand. "Mornin'," I greet them.

At the front of the classroom Taiga frowns disapprovingly.

I cough and bring up my hand to my mouth.

"I mean," I begin again and smile pleasantly. "Good morning, I look forward to working with you all." I glance to Taiga and see her nodding approvingly. I hold in a laugh and smile at my classmates again. "Please take good care of me."

They stare back at me blankly.

Taiga lightly applauds. "Very good, Namikaze-kun." She peers across the room. "There is a spot in the back row, next to the window."

At the back of the room, next to an open window is an empty seat.

"Thank you Fujimura-sensei."

I stroll towards it, a smile on my lips. I purposely walk past Shinji and smile at him.

He glowers back at me but does little else.

I sit down at my newly appointed seat and let out a pleased sound.

Around me the students are beginning to chat. Some are talking about pointless subjects. Others are casting looks towards me and talking.

"Tiger seems happy today," one student says to another.

A hand is slammed against a desk. "Did someone just make fun of me?" Taiga demands to know from the front of the room.

"No, we didn't. Maybe you imagined it?"

Taigas rage disappears. "All right, good. Then I'll continue."

She begins to talk casually, informing the class of announcements. In between them, she talks casually so it passes slowly. Which is fine, it has a pleasant atmosphere. The window beside me opens up into the forest of trees that surround the back and sides of the school. A gentle scent wafts into the classroom.

It smells like peaceful summers.

"Pardon me, Namikaze-san." Someone calls my assumed name.

I tilt my head back and look for the source.

It takes me very little time to find it.

In front of me a young girl has turned around and faced me. She has a light complexion, medium length, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a playful look about her, and has a smile affixed to her lips. "Nice to meet you, My name is Sawada Risa," she introduces herself.

I smile at her good-naturedly. "Nice to meet you Risa-chan."

She smiles and giggles of all things. "Call me Risa," she insists.

"Call me Naruto," I counter offer.

We negotiate terms and soon our bargain is made.

"How do you find the school?" I ask her.

Her lips part for a moment and a thoughtful look overtakes her. "Well..." she trails off. "It's a good environment, and everyone is friendly." She supplies. "How come you're transferring in?"

"I have some business in Fuyuki," I answer easily.

"...so everyone, please note the curfew. It's at six o'clock, so people with club activities shouldn't stay too late either."

Taiga's voice breaks through the conversation and draws the students attention to her.

Some students make sounds of disapproval. "What? Six o'clock is too early, Taiga sensei. Can't the athletic clubs be exempted?"

Taiga frowns. "Nope. And Please address your teacher as 'Fujimura-sensei'. I'll get mad if you call me that again. She settles her hands on her hips and glares at the offending student, before her gaze sweeps over towards me and a happy smile momentarily makes itself known.

"All right, I'll be careful."

I wonder what he's referring to. The clubs, or 'Taiga-sensei'.

A moment later he sits back down again and seems to zone out.

"Well, that's it for today's homeroom." She informs the room and closes her clipboard. "Let's meet again in English class in second period, everyone." Taiga leaves, waving her hand at the class.

As she leaves a man enters the room.

My instincts begin to scream at me the moment our eyes make contact.

Kill him.

Kill him.

Kill him.

Because he is dangerous.

He is a well built man, as tall as I am normally. He wears a dark green suit and has angular glasses. His face holds little to no emotion. There is no light behind hid dull black eyes. He is a normal human being. So why is he dangerous?

He places his belongings on the podium up the front of the classroom and his eyes sweep over the classroom. Our eyes make contact again and he maintains my gaze for a few seconds, before blinking.

"Who are you?" he asks.

I smile at him. "Namikaze Naruto," I introduce myself. "I just transferred in today."

He says nothing for a few moments.

"Is that so?" he murmurs, and does not dispute what I have said.

His name is Kuzuki Souchirou.

He teaches World History.

He has a stern demeanour and has a strict personality.

He begins to teach the class, and all but ignores my presence.

Which is good.

I can deal with this kind of teacher.

He lectures the class, and then tells them to open their books. Books which I don't have. I receive a few strange looks from my fellow classmates, but no one makes a fuss. The class continues and eventually ends with a ring of a bell.

The class was boring. The only way it could have been more so, was if I had to actively participate in it, instead of watching the clouds float by in the sky.

Kuzuki leaves and my instincts stop screaming for his head. The rest of my classmates begin to pack up their belongings and begin to head to their next class.

In front of me Risa stands up and begins to leave.

"Ah, Risa." I call to her.

She stops in mid step and turns back to me, with a surprised look. "Naruto?"

"What class do we have next?"

She laughs softly and smiles. "It's second period," she informs me teasingly.

What's so spec-Ah.

"English with Fujimura-sensei?" I offer my guess.

She nods.

"Can I follow you?" I ask.

She bites her bottom lip, before nodding with a smile. "Of course," she agrees.

She waits until I've stood and caught up to her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Issei giving me a look of disapproval. Besides him an orange haired student watches on with amusement.

I hum to myself and follow Risa out of the classroom careful to stay a few steps behind her. We exit the classroom and enter into the hallway, which, at the beginning had been empty, and now was full to the brim. Risa makes her way through the throngs of people with some hesitation. I follow in her wake with much less difficulty, though, I note, I draw a few stares.

Do I look that odd?

Or perhaps they just like the tune I am humming.

Eventually we arrive at a second classroom. There are students already inside, chatting amongst themselves. We enter and I am greeted with a set of different faces and the smell of food. I pause momentarily and Risa glances back at me. She smiles abashed as the students in the room take notice of me and stare with mild interest, the majority of which, are girls.

Risa grasps me by the hand and pulls me towards the middle of the classroom where three students are sitting around a desk and talking. Or it looks like that was the case before I interrupted. The three are staring at me, as the rest are, openly curious.

"Who's that?" one of them blurts out and stares past Risa at me. Her eyes flicker to Risa for a moment before turning back to me. This girl has short black hair that has been trimmed and cut in a tomboyish fashion. Not to say it's scruffy, just short. She has a slight tan and delicate Japanese features. She is what you'd call a 'japanese beauty'. The words that fall from her lips contradict her looks. I like her.

Risa smiles at the girl. "This is Naruto," she introduces me happily. "He just transferred into school today."

"Why'd you bring him here?" The same girl asks brashly.

Risa is beginning to get flustered.

"I asked her to bring me," I supply, catching the girl off guard. "I thought she was going to the next class, I hadn't realized it was lunch." I look pointedly at my female companion. She smiles unabashed.

I turn my gaze back to the black haired girl and hold out my hand. "Nice to meet you."

She stares at it as if it were an alien probe.

I frown and drop my hand.

I glance to the other two at the table. The two that have remained silence stare at me. One has brown hair cropped to her shoulders. She isn't terribly beautiful but has a gentle presence. As our eyes make contact she smiles. It's a warm smile that I can't but help but return wholeheartedly.

She breaks gaze and looks down at her desk.

The final girl has long pale grey hair that has had the fringe trimmed and eyes just as odd that try to hide behind glasses. She has a very calm and neutral expression on her face, but her eyes fail to guard her emotions. She is clearly curious about the new transfer student.

Somehow, a casual glance has turned into an unspoken staring contest. The girls eyes begin to become glassy. I blink on purpose, and she follows suit, her eyes momentarily fluttering. Who says I can't be kind now and then?

I smile and stick out my hand towards her.

"Nice to meet you," I say with honesty.

She reaches for my hand and gives it a light shake. "Himuro Kane," she says with a calm and steady voice.

I smile and turn my gaze to the brown haired girl sitting behind the desk. "And you are?" I press.

"...Saegusa Yukika." She speaks her name in a small voice.

I consider offering my hand, but she looks as though she'd all but faint if I did.

I glance back to the first girl. She is looking at me with clear irritation. "It was nice to meet you all." I glance back at Risa and smile. "I'm going to head back to the classroom, that's where we have the next class, isn't it?"

She laughs and nods.

"You're sneaky," I inform her and turn away.

"Hey, what about me?" The black haired girl demands from behind my back.

I pause in step and glance back. "What about you?" I ask lightly.

She glares. "Aren't you going to ask my name?" She asks sourly.

"I guess I could." I turn back and face her.

"Makidera Kaede."

I grin victoriously. "Nice to meet you Kaede-chan."

She maintains my gaze for a moment before turning away and "You too," she says in a subdued voice.

I laugh lightly. "See you later," I say my good byes and turn to leave.

"What a weirdo!" Kaede says as I step out of the classroom. "Why'd you bring a guy like him here?" she complains to presumably Risa.

If I had to do a comparison, Makidera Kaede would be Kiba, Saegusa Yukika would be Hinata, and Himuro Kane would be Shino.

I chortle to myself as I retrace the path that brought me to the classroom. Team 8 exists in a different, all female form. The thought keeps a smile on my face.

With happy thoughts present, I allow my feet to lead me. In the end they lead me away from the classroom, and up towards the third floor, and then, further up to a non-existent fourth floor. The staircase leads to an open door and a cold breeze.

The cold winter air buffets me as I step out onto the roof. It's not entirely unpleasant, and it's empty, devoid of students.

I absently walk to the edge of the roof and take in the schoolyard. Students are going about their lunches, talking in groups, sitting by themselves, or heading to their next destination. There are groups of five, and more. There are individuals by themselves. There are areas that are empty and those that are full.

And there is someone else on the roof with me.

A black haired girl has appeared on the roof. Whether she was here when I arrived, and I hadn't noticed her, or whether she appeared afterwards, I do not know. She is the same girl that was at the Archery range when I arrived. She has an aloof and unapproachable atmosphere around her.

I step away from the edge of the roof and make my way off the roof. The roof, despite it's large size, and it's lack of students, is now too crowded for both of us to remain. My feet hit the stairs of the stairwell, the winter air seems to weigh heavily on my shoulders. Or perhaps it is simply the constant drain that is leaving me feeling unpleasantly burdened.

The students part as I walk, whether out of conscious decision or unconscious action I'm not sure.

I get off at the second floor and make my way to the classroom where 'World History' was 'taught' to 'me'. I arrive at the classroom and am greeted to a less than full room. There are a few students sitting around, mostly girls. I make my way to the seat I had been given by Taiga and sit down.

I am beginning to remember how little I enjoyed being in class back when I was younger. When I would ditch class and simply go and watch the clouds float by in the sky.

I could do that.

I could disappear from here, and return to the temple.

I could lay down on the temple steps and stare at the sky.

I could watch the clouds float away, watch day turn into night and watch as the stars light up the darkness.

But, I don't think I will.

I want to meet new people.

I want to make new memories.

I want to feel the happiness that comes from interacting with another soul without steel or fist.

Maybe I even want to hold someone's naked body against mine.

Or maybe I want to do all of those things at once.

As I wonder about what I want students begin to filter back into the classroom. Unfamiliar faces and familiar ones begin to appear.

Someone.

Someone.

Someone.

Risa.

Someone.

Someone.

Issei.

Someone.

Someone.

Someone.

Someone pokes my head.

I glance to the front of the desk and the blonde haired school girl known as Risa is prodding me with her finger. "Are you okay?" she asks and smiles once she has my attention. "You seem a little spaced out," she informs me.

"Just thinking," I explain to her.

"If you think too hard you'll just get a headache," she says with a grin and brushes her hair over her ear. "You should try to keep an open mind," she says with cheer.

"If you open your mind too much your brain will fall out," I retort without considering my words.

Which is odd.

Not that I didn't consider what I was saying, that is common.

What is odd is that I've never known that phrase.

So why do I know it?

Risa stares at me in mild surprise, and a light laugh falls from her lips.

"That's a good one," she praises me. "Where did you read it?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I can't remember," I answer honestly.

She doesn't seem to believe me, but she lets it go.

"You could of stayed you know," she says after a few moments. "Maki-chan might have been a bit rude but she asked a few questions about you after you left." Risa seems to be trying to tease me.

"What did she want to know?" I ask.

Risa waves her hand dismissively. "This and that," she brushes the question off.

The bell rings.

A few seconds pass.

The door to the classroom opens and Taiga strolls into the room in apparent high spirits.

The students begin to sit down and stop talking.

"I had a good lunch," she informs the class happily. She talks to the class, and soon enough without boundary the class starts. She begins to write on the board as she talks, the sound of chalk against the black board fills the room, the constant scratching of short strokes.

Without warning she spins around and points towards the back row.

Specifically to the window side.

Where I am sitting.

"Namikaze-kun!" She declares. "Read this!" She steps aside and reveals a board full of writing.

I open my mouth.

"Ah, stand up!" She cuts me off and commands.

I scratch my cheek and stand up, before I begin to recite the words on the board as I do she looks on with apparent delight that turns to surprise. By the time I'm finished she grins and claps happily. "Very good!" she praises me. "Where did you learn English?"

"English?" I echo.

I glance at the board again.

There is an odd language on it that I understand. I understand it because it is a common language these days that is used around the world. The Holy Grail implanted it in my mind when it summoned me.

"I dunno," I answer after a few moments and laugh it off.

She accepts my answer and claps her hands lightly. "Very impressive still," she continues to praise. She pauses and a look of consideration appears on her face. She turns around and begins to clear off the black board. As soon as she is finished she begins to write again.

"Read this one," she instructs me.

I do so.

The words flow off my tongue as though it were a natural language. But then, I speak Japanese with the same fluency. A language that didn't exist during the time of my life. A language that holds no ties to the one I spoke when I was alive.

For the eternity that I've existed as Alaya's sword I cannot remember ever speaking, words ever leaving my lips since the approach of The White Beast. I was summoned, and I knew what to do. There was no exchange of information outside of awareness.

By the time I am finished reciting the words on the board Taiga is staring at me in barely restrained glee.

"That's very impressive, Namikaze-kun!" she exclaims in the odd language.

"Thank you, Fujimura-sensei," I reply and the language that passes from my lips changes.

Taiga's eyes narrow.

"How are you finding the school so far?" She asks me with a victorious grin.

"It's fun," I respond. "It's been fun meeting new people."

Taiga's lips part in surprise.

The rest of the class looks at me with a strange look. Even Risa who is sitting in front of me has a look of disbelief.

Taiga shakes.

And quivers.

And suddenly she bursts into life.

"Amazing!" she gushes. "You have a very good handle on your languages. You don't seem to need this class at all." She is giddy, and suddenly. She frowns, and ponders and pouts. "You don't need my class," she whines.

The exuberant Tiger is suddenly depressed.

How embarrassing.

"Fujimura-sensei," I begin to say awkwardly, I glance around the room and after a moment of concentration speak in English. "A student always needs a teacher, right?"

She continues to sulk.

"And Fujimura-sensei is a good teacher, so..." I trail off, unsure of what to say. It's be even more awkward to say 'Because you're the teacher, and I like you I want to come to class'.

She sniffs in an exaggerated fashion. "You're so nice, Namikaze-kun," she glances at the rest of the class and turns her nose up. "I wish everyone could be as nice as you." The majority of the class looks uncomfortable.

Ahh, the final attack of a wounded Tiger.

How-

A lance of pain erupts in my chest and pierces through my lungs and a rush of memories flood my mind along with a spike of energy. I gasp for breath and clutch my chest.

The Clone has been dispelled. Or in this case 'killed'.

In this case by Master.

The deception lasted a while, but it was eventually caught out.

The last memory of the clone I had left to guard the gate was the look of barely hidden anger that Master had on her visible face along with the sudden lack of air in my lungs, and lung sin my chest, and chest in general.

"Are you okay?!" Someone touches me upon the shoulder. I look up suddenly in response and the hand disappears.

Issei stands beside me with a look of concern on his face.

"M'fine," I mumble under my breath.

I glance to the head of the classroom to a worried looking Taiga.

I smile embaressly. "Do you think I could go outside for a breath of fresh air, Fujimura-sensei?"

Taiga nods silently and seems to resist the urge to approach me by herself.

"Thanks Issei," I say with a smile, slip around the desk, and quickly make my way out of the classroom.

The moment the door closes behind me I rush towards the staircase and head towards the roof. As soon as my foot fits the concrete roof I tear a chunk of my energy off and mold it into another clone. A replica of myself appears in front of me. I give it a once over to make sure it looks the part and then send it back to class.

I run towards the edge of the building, towards the direction of Ryuudou Temple and jump into the air.

As I do I shed my physical form and revert to a spiritual entity, as I do I fly through the air, back towards the gate, where Master is waiting.


	2. Zero: Night

**A fair bit shorter than Zero/day, but you'll find that as the story progresses there will be a shift in the volume of the different segments. Enjoy, and what not.**

**Jon**

**Fate/eternia**

**Zero/night**

* * *

Lacking physical form is an odd thing to experience. The lack of a distinct boundary of self. It's unpleasant at the best of times. But, it is useful.

There is no pause in my immaterial strides. I pass through air, wood, and stone alike. It takes me very little time to reach the base of pathway leading to Ryuudou. The time it takes for me to return is measured in seconds rather than minutes.

The journey from the bottom to the top takes mere moments, and at the top I am confronted with an expected figure. The cloaked figure of Caster, my Master looks down upon me. The hood that covers her face hides her expression but I can still feel the irritation that radiates from her.

I revert to physical form as I approach and stop upon the stairs.

Silence passes between us for a few seconds.

Before she lifts her hand and-

Pain.

My vision goes red as unbridled agony rips through my arm. What is this? I gasp for air and grit my teeth. I clutch at my arm, or what was my arm. My fingers touch upon a bloody stump where my hand used to be.

"What the hell?" I snarl at her. "Haven't you heard of proportionate retribution?" I demanded to know and forced myself to ignore the pain of having my hand _exploded_.

Master drops her hand to her side and a cold smile appears on her lips. "Oh? Perhaps you would have preferred is I had scolded you and sent you to your room?"

I steadied my breath. "Do you have any idea how annoying it is to regenerate missing body parts?" I asked slowly.

Master's lips part in surprise. "You can regenerate?" she asks me.

I stare at her blankly.

"You... blew up my hand... and you didn't know if I could heal it?" I can't contain my disbelief.

She doesn't answer, and watches me patiently.

I briefly wonder what she is waiting for, before I realize it. I reach up with my good hand to the necklace I wear. My fingers wrap around the bluish-green jewel. A wave of nostalgia hits me at the touch of Tsunade's necklace.

It isn't the real one, of course, the true necklace had been destroyed during the battle with Pain. I focus my will and bind the effects of the necklace. A rush of primal energy rises up inside me and threatens to overwhelm my consciousness. I mercilessly crush it's intent and focus on directing the flow.

My ruined arm begins to burn with heat as my mana pools in the limb. I close my eyes.

Extend the energy.

Focus It.

Collapse it.

Restrain it.

Contain it.

The heat begins to give way to numbness and I open my eyes.

A sigh escapes me as I stare down at my newly reformed arm. I flex the fingers and smile in relief. Consciously regenerating is a bitch and a half. For some reason mindless regeneration is so much easier and more efficient. But along with that comes the destruction of everything in a hundred meter radius.

"You lied to me," Master states calmly. "You did not regenerate your limb, you recreated it with your mana."

I shrug my shoulders. "Is there a difference?"

Master remains silent.

I frown.

"You're not going to do it again, are you?" I ask with mild trepidation.

She doesn't give an immediate answer.

"I have yet to decide," she says answers with a measure of honesty.

"But you already exploded my lungs," I protested. "And I protected the gate didn't I?"

Master's lips thin and she raises a hand.

A sudden weight settles over my body. I feel like I'm being crushed under a thousand leagues of water.

"You exist because I have deemed it proper. If you do not fulfil the duties I assign to you, then you will _end_ because I decree it. Do you understand, Servant?"

I grit my teeth and bear it. "Of course, Master," I agree. It wouldn't do to antagonize the one who holds my reigns.

She gestures for me to approach her.

I approach her with understandable caution.

A cruel smile slips onto her lips and she reaches forwards to me, and places her hand on my chest. I stare down at it and watch as a faint glow overtakes it, and then, as it slides into my chest. I resist the urge to freak out and remain still. The only thing I can feel is a faint warmth that is oddly out of place in my chest.

And then, a rush of energy hits me and I managed to hold back my surprise. Mana fills up my body. That which was lost returns in plentiful form. My eyes flutter closed and I bask in the feeling. Eventually the warmth disappears amongst the flow of mana and my eyes slowly open.

Caster is staring down at me in vague annoyance. "Your recreation spell is inefficient," she informs me. "Do not use it again, or I will be displeased."

"Does that mean you aren't going to do anything like that again?" I ask teasingly as a smile lights up my lips.

She smiles in wicked amusement. "No, it simply means next time you will not be permitted to heal yourself.

I resist the urge to pout. What a horrible sense of humour she has. "But I like my hands?"

Caster laughs softly. "Perhaps it would be prudent to do as I instruct then, would you not say?" she says sweetly. "Or perhaps I should be kind and remove one of your legs instead, would you like that, my servant?"

I puffed out my cheeks petulantly and refrained from answering.

She paused for a moment, before speaking. "Now, would you tell me why you abandoned your post?"

"I was... looking for enemies?" I offer her a reason.

She frowns. "I know of all the servants that have been summoned thus far in the war," she informs me. "Besides yourself there have been three others summoned."

"Do you know which ones?" I ask her.

Her lips quirk and she turns away.

"I do, yes, and you shall find that they will appear before this gate before too long."

"Which is why you want me here instead of out there kicking ass?" I take a guess at her reasoning.

"That is correct," she acknowledges my words. "I will be most displeased if you abandon your post again."

Master begins to walk back to the temple and I am left staring at her back. The pressure that bears down on me vanishes and I let out a sigh. I take it from the way she said it that her 'displeasure' will involve exploding another one of my limbs. It's probably within my best interests to abide by her commands for the time being.

She is a witch.

Though, she did refill my mana after she exploded my hand, that was nice of her. In a sick roundabout way. I turn away from the temple and drop back down onto the stone steps.

The sunlight stretches over Fuyuki City in a blanket of warmth. Unfortunately it doesn't extend to the temple. The tree's shade the pathway up the mountain a shadow that leave unpleasant chills crawling up and down my body, both physical and spiritual.

The forest that encases the mountain is an evil soul eating one. I can smell blood long since spilled and faded on the bark. There are invisible handprints on every tree. It is a forest of carnage that forbids entry to those who exist beyond the human form.

Servants are those kinds of beings, so it is hostile to my presence, just from being on the edge of the boundary field that cloaks the trees I can feel its enmity.

As the sun falls in the distance beyond the horizon shadows begin to stretch forth across the city, and the mountain dims as the sky becomes overcast. The winter air thickens and chills the lungs as it is inhaled.

A sudden spike of knowledge and memories floods my mind and induces a momentary case of déjà vu. My clone has finished school for the day.

In the end it had to endure a math class and the remainder of Taiga's English throughout which the excitable woman had taken to bombarding it with surprise statements and questions peppered with English and Japanese. In the end she had been satisfied, or rather, gleefully excited to have found such a well spoken student.

She hadn't taken no for an answer at the end of the school day, and forced me to go the Archery club again. Though the experience hadn't been unpleasant. The members of the club had taken to referring to me as Vice-Captain.

The look on Shinji's face had brought me a feeling of delight like none other. Neither Taiga nor Ayako ended up doing anything to alleviate it. In the end Shinji had left in a huff when reminded that he agreed to part with his position after all. When he left he took with him a group of younger girls.

Taiga had watched on in disapproval as they left together, but hadn't said anything.

It had taken a while but eventually the club dispersed and my clone was able to escape, though not without promising Taiga that it would return tomorrow. Which I doubt I will be able to do, with Master all but chaining me to the temple's gate, unless I determine a way to outwit the witch.

I pause and consider doing just that. She hadn't seemed to notice straight away. It had taken her a few hours to learn of the deception. There had to have been a cause for her to figure it out.

My musings are cut short as I notice the presence of someone on the path to the temple.

Or rather, two someone's.

Near the base of the steps two figures have begun to ascend. It is a bit difficult to make them out at the distance in the darkness, but one is in the school uniform that I adorned during the day.

Ryuudou Issei has returned home.

And...

I freeze.

My eyes narrow.

Kuzuki-sensei, what are you doing here?

My body fades from physical sight and I observe the pair as they make their way up the path. I resist the temptation to step out as they pass by and cut Kuzuki's head from his shoulders. I wouldn't want Issei to be traumatized for life, after all.

They pass through the gate and part ways. I follow behind in Kuzuki's shadow. He passes into the building and I follow through the wall. He approaches one of the rooms in the back of the temple, where I can feel a familiar presence.

I steel my nerves and rush into motion.

My body bursts into physical form and I lunge towards Kuzuki. A dagger-like weapon materializes in my hand and strikes for Kuzuki's neck.

**Stop.**

My arm freezes as well as the kunai in my grip. I try to fight against the command and an indescribable pain lances through my hand. I hold back a gasp of pain and my hand shakes. Kuzuki steps out of range of the blade, unaware of how close he had come to his end.

He opens a door and disappears inside. I catch sight of a faint purple glow.

The steel in my hand vanishes, no longer needed.

I am confused.

What just happened?

I struggle for a second internally.

Master did something, I am sure of it. There is nothing capable of restraining such an action so easily. But it wasn't easy. There had been an impassable will stained on the command. Is this what a command spell is?

Why didn't she let me kill Kuzuki?

Why did she let him in her room?

How did she know I was about to kill him?

Questions bubble away in my mind, unanswered.

I frown at the now closed door and turn away.

Wait.

Could he be her...

Oh well, it doesn't matter to me.

I ignore the lingering curiosities in my mind and head back to the gate.

The darkness has continued to fall across the city, and the lights have begun to appear. Eventually I find myself on top of the gate on my back. The cool breeze is brushing against the trees and the needles and leaves sing a beautiful song of whispers.

Beautiful and morbid.

Nothing good can come from the trees here. The very air they touch becomes poisoned, or perhaps I am biased considering how unpleasant such a thing is to a Servant.

My eyes snap open.

There is someone approaching.

I slid off of my back and drop my legs over the side of the gate. Deep in the dark path below me someone is coming.

Someone is running.

Someone intends to enter the temple.

I drop down from the gate and land with a light thud. I wait patiently as the being approaches, and then, from the darkness a blue figure emerges.

He stops two dozen steps below me. Moonlight overhead cascades down over the new arrival, illuminating his features.

He is covered in a full body suit of blue material, there are lines of silvery metal tracing over his body, and shoulder guards of the same material cover his shoulders, he has a pair of earrings that match. He has stark red eyes and blue hair that is tied back into a ponytail.

Our eyes meet, and he grins victoriously.

"Fancy meeting you here." He greets me with a pleasant tone.

His greeting, despite the words and tone is filled with an aggressive excitement.

I smile broadly. "Nice evening, isn't it?"

"The best kind!" he slashes his hand in front of him and red light pools between his fingertips, before it spreads out and forms into a weapon. A sleek spear of crystallized red appears in his hand. The tip has a wicked and cruel design, the base is jagged and the shaft is encrusted with vein-like designs.

It is a beautiful and deadly weapon.

I flex my fingers and a kunai materializes between my fingertips.

I receive a frown at the summoned weapon. "Is that your noble phantasm?" He asks me. "Or are you mocking me?"

I grin at him and flip the kunai in hand. "A little bit of both."

His frown morphs into a feral smile and he lunges up the stairs and thrusts his spear.

I smile and lean forwards, bringing my kunai up and parrying the thrust lance. I have the higher ground, and the home field advantage. Still, even with that the weapon in my hand is fractured from a glancing blow by the enemies weapon.

I jump backwards and throw the kunai towards the enemies head. It is blocked in a flurry by the lance. By the time my feet touch the ground a second and third kunai materializes in my hands.

This is the difference between an immaterial weapon and a Noble Phantasm. The materialization of a heroes legend is something impressive.

"You're Lancer right?" I ask calmly as I analyse his stance, or lack of. He flips the lance in hand and holds it laxly as he observes me.

"What gave it away?" he asks, "The lance?"

I laugh lightly. "That must have been it."

Chak... mana floods my arms and pools in the immaterial weapons I hold. An ethereal aura shapes to the steel edge and forms into a lethal edge of solidified wind. Again Lancer thrusts his lance forwards from an impossible angle and I redirect the blow with the edge of the kunai.

I grin as the newly sharpened edge of the kunai withstands the blow from the red lance. My grin soon fades as a second thrust is parried, and a third, and a fourth and a fifth and six. The lance that was at one point visible has become little more than a hurricane of strikes. I can see the blows, and my body can react. The kunai withstand the force marvellously.

Lancer takes a step backwards and the tip of his weapon scraps the ground.

And then.

I lean backwards and barely avoid being pierced through the jaw. The strike is followed up by a second, and third, and fifth and fourth. The count is obscured as the lance moves with enough speed to, by the weaker eye, be mistaken for a simultaneous strike.

I slip underneath a strike and slide forwards through his guard. My arm lashes out and the edge of my kunai scraps the material of Lancer's vest before he moves out of range and I am forced to parry a blow aimed at my head.

"Nice movements," I compliment Lancer as I lunge to his side and strike with one of the kunai. The attack is blocked by the edge of the lance he holds and I'm forced to move out of his immediate range.

Even as I retreat I am forced to dodge his strikes. I slip between the thrusts of the lance and barely catch sight of a sudden increase in the speed of the attacks. I lash out with the kunai and the tip of the lance stabs into the wind-coated steel.

The kunai breaks in my grip and is rejected from reality. A second later a replica appears and is reinforced.

"You almost got me!" I flick a kunai at Lancer's face and move back out of range of his spear. He is forced to block the attack and cannot follow me up the mountain. I throw a third kunai, and a fourth, and fifth. The immaterial weapons materialize and are launched within fractions of a second, and every single one is blocked with apparent ease.

Lancer grins at me and slides a foot forward. His grip on the lance changes and he jumps towards me with reckless abandon. Kunai form and I slash them across my front. The tip of the lance slides between them and I thrust my arms up into the air. The tip of the spear grazes the top of my head.

My eyes widen and I twist my body. My foot rockets out from underneath me and slams into the side of Lancer's head.

"I got you!" I crow and release the tip of the spear from between the kunai. I raise my arm at the same time and grimace as the shaft of the spear slams into my arm and knocks me off balance.

"I got you back!" he retorts and a spark flies as he twists the spear in hand and the tip scraps across the ground.

"I kicked you," I retort. "All you did was tap me with the spear, I clearly am winning."

Lancer stops his assault and frowns. He straightens up and folds his arms across his chest and holds his spear underarm. "I think it's pretty clear that I hit you directly," he disagrees with my assessment of the battle. "All you did was barely scrape the side of my head. By etiquette I am clearly winning."

The kunai in my hands vanish and I mirror Lancer's frown. "But I hit you first," I argue, "and I did more that scrape the side of your head, I felt contact!"

"All you hit was air," he insists.

I grin. "That must be what your head is full of!"

In a split second, the spear is thrust towards my head. I lean to the side and allow the single strike to pass by within an acceptable distance.

"You're starting to piss me off."

The spear is thrust five times.

Four are avoided by movement.

The fifth can only be deflected by the kunai that materializes in the span of the second last thrust. Without the reinforcement the kunai shatters from the glancing blow. The exchange breaks down into a pattern of attacking and defending. Lancer's spear may have the range, but with the higher ground I have a better view of the city, and that just brightens my mood enough to give me the edge.

I notice that the gate behind me has crept up and is closer than it should be. I frown and shift my body outside of the striking angle of the incoming thrust. I should probably move this further down the path. I slip forwards and slam my fist into Lancer's chest. It's blocked by the red spear but the strength of the blow carries through and sends him backwards a few feet.

Lancer clucks his tongue in annoyance and I feel a rush of wind as the spear narrowly misses my left eye.

"Almost got me!" I laugh and recreate a shattered kunai, only to throw it a second later and have it knocked out of the air as usual. But it serves its purpose. The spin of the spear gives a split second gap that can be taken advantage of. But, Lancer is aware of the weakness, and as soon as it appears it is gone by shift in his centre of gravity.

"I've figured you out," Lancer declares through his attacks. "You're not Archer, or Caster, or Saber, or Rider. You're _definitely _not a Lancer."He grins and twirls his spear again, knocking a second kunai out of the air. "That leaves you with Berserker and Assassin." A feral look overtakes Lancer.

"And you're too restrained to be a Berserker!"

I grin in excitement as a storm of red blows erupts from my enemy.

Dodge.

Dodge.

Dodge.

Parry.

Dodge.

Slash.

Dodge.

Parry.

Parry.

It's a joyous dance of brain and brawn as we match our strength against each other. But it is lacking in certain ways. The strength of the attacks is below what I would have expected from such a man, as is the ferocity. But then, I myself am not aiming to slay Lancer.

The blue Servant jumps backwards down the stairs and lands on a flat level a few meters down. An annoyed expression has appeared on his face. He lowers the tip of his spear to the ground.

"...I'll ask just in case, since this is our first meeting. Do you want to call it even?"

I blink in surprise. "What?"

Lancer frowns. "I'd prefer to finish things, but you see my Master is a coward, and I am supposed to back off when a Servant appears."

"But that's no fun is it?" I smile widely and the act is mimicked. "I'm supposed to guard the gate. If you don't try and cross, than I don't really have a reason to fight, do I?"

"It's no fun," he agrees with me and grasps the shaft of his spear. "So let's end this on a final note."

Lancer lowers his stance and the air around him suddenly distorts as magical energy begins to rumble around his lance like a whirlpool. The air stills between us, and my eyes widen.

This is it. The activation of his Noble Phantasm. The crystallization of the legend that makes Lancer a heroic spirit.

The beast known as Lancer jumps towards me.

In a split second he appears on the steps below me as if he had teleported, and...

The red lance is thrust at my feet.

I grin widely and move to attack Lancer's exposed throat.

And-

"Gae..."

A sudden rush of magical energy erupts from Lancer as the words pass his lips.

"Bolg...!"

The tip of the spear that was aimed at my feet redirects and is thrust towards my heart. In the span of a second I turn and jump away with all my might. The tip of the spear pierces the skin of my chest and my heart misses a beat.

The force of the blow knocks me backwards into the air. I manage to land on my feet and I clutch at my chest. A wet stain has appeared on my clothing. I grit my teeth. My heart continues to beat and with every thud a spike of pain is shot through my chest.

"The hell was that?" I demand to know and stare at Lancer with anger.

That was an impossible attack. It was aimed at my feet, but at the last second it changed its course and struck for my heart, something that shouldn't have been possible. The lance has not changed its shape or form. The fluid motion of the sudden change was too natural for what it was.

Lancer stares at me with annoyed eyes.

"You dodged it?" he murmurs quietly.

I didn't dodge it. I was struck by that impossible thrust that defied logic.

This is the power of a noble phantasmic weapon.

The power to reverse the laws of the world so that a goal is achieved before the journey is made.

What should have been 'the lance has struck, so the heart must be pierced,' has become 'the heart is pierced, so the lance must have struck.'

But the heart wasn't pierced.

An impossible act was met with an impossible result.

My shocked musings are interrupted by the sound of teeth being ground together.

Lancer glares at me with contempt.

"You evaded it, Assassin. My fatal Gae Bolg."

"Gae Bolg...?" I echo lowly. "Is that the name of your Noble Phantasm?" I straighten up and ignore the small hole in my chest. "I'll have to research it to find out who you are." I grin at him. "I hate reading," I inform him.

Lancer frowns.

His hostility disappears and he clucks his tongue in annoyance.

"You don't recognize the name?" His lance disappears and he folds his arms across his chest. "I thought I was famous."

The magical energy surrounding the Servant disappears. He turns his back to me and begins to walk down the mountain. "I'd like to finish the fight with you, but unfortunately, my Master is a coward. He's telling me to go back since you evaded my lance."

I frown at Lancer's back as he slowly makes his way down the mountain, but I say nothing. Instead I clutch at the wound on my chest. It's beginning to heal slowly and shouldn't be a problem for too much longer, but all the same...

A lance that ensures death for the victim, and I avoided it.

I'm awesome.


	3. One: Day

**Ahoy. Here is chapter three, also known as One/day. The next chapter should be fun. It's One/night, after all. and we all know what happens at night time. **

**Jon**

**Fate/eternia**

**One/day**

* * *

The winter air bites at my skin. Its colder then it was yesterday, colder and dimmer.

The grounds of the school are awash with the first rays of sunshine of the day. Students have already begun to arrive. A group of them have gathered in the middle of the school grounds and are talking amongst themselves. I recognize a few of them. The grey haired girl, who I met yesterday, Himuro Kane is present and in a tracksuit. She is standing with another of the girls I met the day before, Saegusa Yukika, the smallish brown haired girl who had been shy, who is wearing the same tracksuit. Well, not the same. It's a separate one, but it's design is the same, and it's smaller.

"Naruto-kun!" a familiar voice calls out from my right.

I turn towards the source and a smile appears on my lips. "Captain, morning," I greet the captain of the archery club. Ayako is strolling towards the dojo, her bag hangs low on her hip. She smiles as I address her.

"Ayako," she corrects me. "As my vice-captain it's only proper, isn't it?"

"Just Naruto, then," I insist and stand up from my seat on the archery ranges steps. Ayako steps past me and slips her bag off of her shoulder and onto the ground.

"Can you help me open up today then, Naruto?" she asks as she fiddles with the lock on the steel grate covering the door.

"Of course," I agree easily and step up. The lock clacks and she pries the gates open. I take hold of one and slide it to the side. Ayako does the same for the opposite grate. I pick up her bag and hand it to her. She gives me an odd look but accepts it none the less and enters the dojo.

The dojo is the same as it was yesterday. The interior is dim, there is a faint trace of dust in the air that catches the sunlight as it filters into the large room.

"You want some tea?" Ayako asks me as she drops her bag by one of the low set tables in the back of the dojo.

"No thank you," I politely decline.

She gives me an annoyed look.

"I mean, yes, please."

She nods in approval and she disappears into one of the back rooms of the dojo.

I sit besides the table she set her bag down at, a few seconds pass and the lights in the dojo flicker on. Illumination floods the room. I breath in deeply and the scent of the dew soaked grass from the range tickles my nose pleasantly.

Ayako soon reappears with a tea set and a boiled kettle. She places them on the table and sits across the table from me. She is quiet as she goes about preparing the tea. I observe in equal silence as she goes through the motions. By the end I am presented with a cup of Japanese tea. The smell clashes with the scent of the dew-dripped grass well. I can't help but smile as I pick up the cup and lightly sip.

The tea burns as it passes my lips. I hold back a grimace and place the cup back down on the table. Ayako observes my actions with a small smile. "Not used to tea?" she asks with a slight tease to her voice.

"Not really," I admit easily. "Never really acquired a taste for it."

Ayako's smile dims into a slight frown. "That's no good," she informs me. "It's a sign of a good upbringing to enjoy tea." I don't object out loud, but it's an odd view to have, but then I suppose it shows well enough, considering my childhood.

I pick up the cup and take a small sip. It isn't as bad as the first but the tea still burns, and the steam annoys my eyes. I set the cup down again and watch as Ayako brings her own cup up to her lips, and blows very lightly on the tea. Steam wafts away from the cup and Ayako brings it up to her lips and closes her eyes. She takes a small sip and smiles in obvious enjoyment.

"I'm not really vice captain, am I?" I ask suddenly.

Ayako's eyes snap open and she stares at me in silence for a few moments. "No, you're not," she admits. "But it won't hurt for Shinji to learn some humility once every while."

I nod in acknowledgement and drink a bit more of the tea.

"Don't get me wrong," Ayako says quickly. "You'd definitely make a better vice captain, but Shinji earned his position, and even if he is a bit unmanageable at times he did earn his position." Her lips quirked up. "Though he _did_ put his position on the table." She places her cup of tea down on the table and rests her head on her hand. "If you manage to keep shooting as well as you did yesterday then I doubt anyone would object to you becoming vice captain. Or perhaps even captain." Ayako's eyes sparkle. "Is that your game, taking over the dojo? That's a pretty bold plan for a stray who was taken in on a cold winter day."

I give Ayako a confused look.

She chuckles and waves her hand at me dismissively. "Just joking," she informs me. "Unless that is your plan."

"It isn't," I disagree and smile. "My plan is to..." I trail off and ponder. "I want to make good memories,  
" I tell her honestly. "I'm not sure how long I'll be around so I want to enjoy my time while it lasts, you know?"

Ayako's eyes brows rise ever so slightly at my confession. "Good memories," she murmurs quietly and her eyes drift down to the table. "That's an odd thing to want, isn't it?"

I shrug my shoulders and smile bashfully. "Is it?" I bring the cup of tea up to my lips and guzzle down the rest of the scolding hot liquid. Ayako watches on with an amused-annoyed look.

"That's bad manners," she informs me as I set my cup down. "Do you want another?"

I shake my head to decline, but Ayako takes my cup and prepares another for me in spite of my answer.

"You don't seem to have brought a bow with you today," Ayako comments. "So I take it you'll be using one of the school bows?"

"That's right," I agree, "It isn't a problem, is it?"

Ayako shakes her head. "No, not really, but I suggest that you do purchase one of your own soon. The school one's aren't that well maintained, I'm certain you'd find you'd do even better with a newer bow."

"But I like the bow I was using," I argue. "It has... character, and stuff." I insist.

Ayako perks a brow. "Is that so? Far be it from me to take you away from your fantasies," she teases me.

I pout very lightly and accept the cup of tea as she passes it to me.

"Ayako-sempai, are you here?" a soft voice calls out from the door way.

"Matou, come in," Ayako calls out over my shoulder.

"Good morning, Ayako-sempai."

I turn my head towards the door and catch sight of a purple haired girl as she enters the dojo. As the day before Matou Sakura is wearing the school uniform and has a pink ribbon in her hair. However, she seems a bit pale and she has a distracted look upon her face.

"Good morning, Sakura," I greet her with a smile, to which she lowers her eyes and murmurs a faint 'Good morning Naruto-san.'

Ayako gestures to the side of the table. "Sit down and join us,"

Sakura approaches the table and sits down to my left and Ayako's right.

Ayako glances down at the table and frowns, before she moves to stand. "I'll go get a cup for you."

"Don't bother," I say quickly and pass Sakura the warm cup in my hands. "Here, have mine." She accepts it without protest.

Ayako frowns and gives me a stern look. I guess she doesn't like that I don't want to drink her tea.

"...Thank you, Naruto-san," Sakura says softly and manages to smile ever so slightly.

"No worries," I say brightly and return the smile.

Sakura holds the cup close to her chest in her hands and basks in the warmth.

"It's rude to hand your tea to another person," Ayako informs me sternly. "Unless," she says, slyly, "Perhaps you think of Sakura in a more intimate way, is that it?" she leans forwards and smiles in a devious way.

Sakura lowers her gaze to the table and a very faint blush colours her cheeks.

Two can play at that game.

Well, technically any number of people above 'one person' can play this game. Though I suppose you could play it with yourself, but it'd be pointless, and boring.

I smile widely at Ayako. "You mistake my intentions, Ayako," I disagree. "You see I had assumed since I gave Sakura _my_ cup, you'd allow me to drink from yours?" I wink at her.

She seems unimpressed, but none the less, she hands over her half-empty cup.

I frown internally. I hadn't expected her to actually give me her tea cup.

All the same I accept it with a smile and bring it up to my lips. At the last moment I rotate the cup so the side she drunk from lines up with my lips and I take a long sip from it, maintaining eye contact with her all the while. Despite her straight laced look a faint blush tinges her cheeks.

"Thank you," I say as I hand the cup back over to the blushing captain. She accepts it stiffly and hesitates, before taking her own sip, from the opposite side of the cup.

She glares at me lightly as I smile at her in victory.

Besides me, Sakura watches with a very faint look of amusement.

The sound of footsteps echo from the dojo's front along with the sound of animated conversation, Ayako brings the cup of tea up to her lips again and all but inhales the contents. She slams the teacup down on the table with delicate force and stands up.

The purple haired girl besides me remains seated and continues to sip her tea quietly.

"Morning Captain,"

"Ayako-sempai, good morning,"

"Mitsuzuri, morning,"

A chorus of welcomes from the clubs members fills the dojo. Ayako responds to each in kind and quickly gets the members prepared to do morning practice.

"Did you have a pleasant night?" I ask Sakura suddenly, she turns her gaze up from the table to me and smiles and nods. "Did you do anything fun?"

She hesitates for a moment. "I spent the night at Fujimura-sensei's place," she answers. "I helped her with dinner," she explains.

"You can cook?" I ask in genuine interest, before pausing. "Can you cook ramen?"

Sakura blinks her purple coloured eyes in surprise before she shakes her head. "I've never tried to cook it before."

I lean back and scratch my cheek. "If you ever do cook some, tell me so I can try it, okay?" I make an unreasonable request.

Sakura nods silently and averts her eyes again.

"Do you know of any good places to get ramen?" I ask after a moment.

She bites her bottom lip and after a moment answers. "I don't, but I think Nii-san might."

'Nii-san' I echo silently. "You mean Shinji?"

Sakura nods.

I scratch my cheek. I doubt Shinji would give me a good answer if I did ask him, after all the run in we had yesterday was pretty severe in the morning, and the club antagonized him further with the vice-captain thing.

"Could you ask Shinji for me?" I ask Sakura after a moment of debate.

"Ask me what, Namikaze?"

I blink, and turn around.

Matou Shinji in all his blue-haired glory stands behind me looking down with an amused smile at Sakura and I.

"Do you know of any good ramen places, Shinji?" I ask after a moment.

He laughs and moves to sit in Mitsuzuri's vacant spot. Behind him a girl or two moves to follow, one quickly rushes forwards and takes the seat opposite of Sakura, the one who missed the chance pouts and sits between Shinji and the first girl.

"Ramen, eh? I know some good places you might like," he answers amicably. "Kind of cheap, though, don't you think? Or are you a cheap kind of guy?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I have good memories with ramen," I answer honestly.

Shinji continues to smile, although it takes on a confused quality. "You're weird!" he says and laughs. The girl's he brought with him giggle. I find it oddly comforting that Sakura holds her silence.

"The girl's and I were going to go out after school to the city," he gestures at his groupies with a dismissive hand. "Do you want to come with us? It can be a double date."

"I'll think about it."

I'm mildly concerned with the sudden change in behaviour, or perhaps yesterday was simply a bad day for him and he's trying to make up for it.

He grins at me. "I'll get your answer before last period then," he muses to himself and stands up, the two girls with him stand up as well. "See you later, Namikaze." He pauses and looks at Sakura before walking off.

A flash of irritation appeared in his eyes for a moment before it disappeared as he turned away.

"Namikaze, get up here and practice," Ayako calls out from near the range. "Just because you're new doesn't mean you don't have to train every day."

I blink. What happened to 'Naruto'? This must be 'Captain mode'.

I stand up and make my way over to Ayako. She immediately points me to the storage room to retrieve the bow I had been using yesterday, along with a quiver of arrows.

"We haven't got a uniform for you yet," she informs me when I return, bow and arrows in hand, "But I'll get the nurse to take your measurements so we can order one, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan," I agree.

I take position and begin to haphazardly fire the arrows at the corresponding target down the range. They all hit the mark, generally around the centre of the target. There are a few dead bullseyes but most hit the second or third ring.

"No! No, no!" Ayako snaps from behind me. "You're doing it all wrong!" Ayako reaches to my arm from behind me and goes about 'correcting' my stance and how I hold the bow.

"But they all hit?" I say in confusion.

"You're doing it wrong," she insists and assists me in preparing another shot. I half expected her to press up behind me and guide my arms with her own, but instead she moved around to my front and observes. "Now try it," she encourages me.

I draw on the bow string and fire.

The arrow zips across the range and imbeds itself in the fourth ring of the target.

I frown and shift my stance back to the original and let loose another arrow.

With a satisfying thud it pierces the centre of the target. "My way is better," I confirm.

"Be that as it may..." Ayako sighs and gives up on her protests, she soon leaves to assist other members.

Time flies like the arrow's I'm firing. Quickly and in a straight line.

"Good morning everybody!" A happy and loud voice calls from behind me.

I turn to greet the newcomer as a chorus of welcomes dispenses from my fellow club members.

"Good morning Fujimura-sensei." I greet Taiga.

Fujimura Taiga smiles happily as she observes the range. When her eyes land on my target they widen and she all but skips over to me. "Very impressive Namikaze-kun!" she praises me. "You'll definitely be our star pupil if you keep this up!"

For the first time I take a moment to look at the other targets down the range.

They vary in the arrows collected and the accuracy, but in general they are a far cry from my accuracy and volume. I feel inordinately proud one moment, and then the stark realization that they're just normal 'humans' hits me and I feel put out.

Taiga pokes my shoulder. "What's with the long face?" she asks curiously. "You've done very well!" She points down the range. "Look, only one is even slightly out of centre!" I resist the urge to point out that the arrow furthest from the centre is the one Ayako 'corrected' my stance on.

"Did you sleep well and have a good breakfast, Namikaze-kun?" Taiga says in a sing-along voice.

"I had a nice sleep and a good breakfast." I lie with a slight twinge. I didn't sleep and I have no need to have breakfast.

Taiga stares me down.

What, can she tell I lied? She screws her face up in irritation before she lets out a sigh. "I can't trick you up, can I Namikaze-kun?"

I give her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

She puffs her cheeks out. "How can I catch you out if you don't even notice when I change languages?" she complains.

"Oh you did?" I ask, surprised.

She glowers at me.

I laugh mildly at her expression. She maintains it for a few more moments before it fades into a smile.

"I'm pretty happy that you appeared," she informs me. "You're excellent in both archery and English," she muses. "I can brag about you to all the teachers!" she clasps her hands together happily. "I have a prized student!" she exclaims gleefully.

She pauses and stares at me. "If anyone asks, I taught you everything you know, got it?" she says such a thing with a threatening air about her.

"Of course," I agree. "You taught me everything I know, so it's only natural that I'm great in the subjects that Fujimura Taiga teaches, right?"

She nods happily, before frowning and giving me a look of disapproval. "I'm your teacher so you shouldn't call me that," she lectures me, before sulking. "And I hate that name, it's not feminine at all," she complains.

"Fujimura-sensei is feminine enough, even with her name," I inform Taiga.

She blinks and smiles in a pleased nature. "You're quite the charmer, Namikaze-kun. If you keep it up I'll have to introduce you to my grandfather."

"What's he like?" I ask.

Taiga seems relaxed as she continues to talk. "He's a real-estate tycoon," she informs me. "He's really good man," she pauses and brings a finger to her lip as a thought pops into her mind. "But he's always surrounded by these odd men in white suits and flashy ties."

"They sound weird," I offer my opinion. Taiga nods seriously. "I think they're into cosplay," she informs me in a conspirator whisper.

'Cosplay?' I echo silently. "What's that?"

Taiga blinks in surprise, before she stares at me wide eyed. "You don't know what cosplay is?" she says in disbelief before her shoulders sag in an exaggerated motion. "I thought all the boys these days knew what it was."

"What is it?" I repeat my question.

"It's when people dress up as characters in anime and games," she explains happily.

I reach up and scratch my cheek as I become embarrassed for the question I'm about to ask. "What's an anime?"

Taiga's gaze turns to disbelief. She frowns severely. "Are you making fun of me, Namikaze-kun?" she demands to know.

I shake my head. "I really don't know what those things are," I insist.

She continues to stare at me in disbelief. Have I really asked such an odd thing?

"Don't worry," I say dismissively, "I'll find out from someone else." Not I'm curious as to what it actually is. "By the way," I begin to ask. "Does the school have a library?"

Taiga stares at me like I've lost my head. She sighs and her shoulders slump. "Of course we do," she pouts. "What kind of a school do you think this is? What's with all these odd questions?"

I shrug my shoulders and smile. "I'm just playing with you, Fujimura-sensei." I'm not.

Taiga glares at me and pouts. "You said you weren't making fun of me," she whines. "You're mean, Namikaze-kun." She turns away and walks off, leaving me at the range by myself. I stare after her blankly.

"If you're done let someone else have a turn, Namikaze," Ayako calls out.

I do as she instructs and step away from the range, a slightly pudgy student takes my place.

I head back to the table at the back of the dojo, I notice that Sakura is sitting there by herself watching the other members. At one end of the dojo Shinji is standing with a few girls, laughing as some of the students continue to practice archery.

"Can I sit here?" I ask Sakura. I give her no time to answer as I plop down on the ground across the table from her. All the same she nods. "So, what do you think?" I ask her, "Do I have what it takes to be a good club member?" I joke around.

Sakura smiles gently and nods her head. "You're very good," she murmurs, "Even if you don't use the proper method."

I laugh and scratch the back of my head. "It's not that big of a deal, is it?"

The purple haired girl shakes her head softly. "Not unless you intend to be a professional."

I don't intend to, so I guess its fine for me.

A pleasant sort of silence falls between us as Sakura turns her gaze to the archery range and watches the club members do their thing. As far as I'm aware she hasn't been up to the range yet today.

"You're not going to practice?" I ask her with an honest curiosity.

She shakes her head. "I will this afternoon," she explains to me.

I nod in acceptance. "So," I remark. "What can you tell me about yourself?"

She blinks and smiles unsurely. "What do you mean?"

"What are your likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future?" I ask in amusement a vague sense of nostalgia washes over me as the words leave my lips.

She blinks and shifts her gaze away from me.

"Oh, too personal?" I muse. "Well, let me go first then." I pause to consider my answer. "I like... Good memories! And ramen, because ramen can become a good memory. I dislike the rain, and I don't like bullies." I wonder what my dreams for the future are.

"My dreams," I murmur under my breath. I smile at Sakura apologetically. "I haven't decided yet."

Sakura listens with a placid look upon her face she smiles very slightly at the end. "Good memories..." she looks away for a moment, before turning her gaze back to me and smiling. "I like to cook, and ... the person I like is..." she trails off, before shaking her head. "I dislike... I don't dislike anything."

"My dreams... dream for the future is-"

"Hey, you two, get up, it's time to leave." Ayako approaches from the range with a smile on her face.

"You look happy," I observe with a small amount of irritation. As soon as Ayako appeared Sakura took her chance to stand up and begin to walk to class, murmuring a quiet 'good bye'.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ayako asks happily. "It's a new day and no one needed help, it's a good start!"

She grins down at me. "Didn't I tell you to get up and going, Namikaze?"

I let out a deep breath and stand up. "Okay," I begrudgingly do as Ayako says, I lightly brush my knees, before pausing and straightening up. "You know Ayako," I begin to say. "You're awfully cute when you're bossy." I smile at her sweetly.

Mitsuzuri Ayako cannot take a compliment. Her cheeks flush pink and her brow furrows and a speck of indignation appears in her eyes.

My own glitter with amusement as I watch her attempt to diffuse whatever emotion she is suddenly feeling.

"Thank you, Namikaze," she says after a few seconds. "Now, if you wouldn't mind." She points to the entrance of the dojo.

"I got it, I got it," I laugh and turn away from her, and begin to make my way out of the entrance.

"You know, Namikaze," Ayako says suddenly, from behind me. "You're awfully cute when you do as you're told, just like a puppy."

I tense and turn around in disbelief. It must show on my face. Ayako gives me a pleased look as she catches my gaze. A wide smile appears on my lips and I can't help but laugh. "You're awful," I inform her through the laughter.

It's at this point Taiga takes note and bounces into the conversation. "What's going on?" she demands to know. "Did I miss a joke? I love jokes, tell me!" She insists she be let in on the joke. Which is impossible. There isn't room left for Taiga in this comedy sketch.

"Hey Fujimura-sensei," I say to her and walk towards her. "What's that?" I point to her chest.

She blinks in confusion before turning her gaze down to where my finger is pointing. As she does I lift my finger up and flick her nose. "Got you," I say as seriously as I can.

Taiga blinks, continues to stare at my finger, and slowly connects the dots in her head. "Y-you!" she roars before poking me hard on the chest. "I'm a teacher, you're not supposed to play practical jokes on me!" she continues to poke my chest, each poke harder than the last. "I thought you were a good student but-" she continues to rant.

I can't help but laugh at the look upon Taiga's face. It coupled with her emerald green dress, and tiger striped undershirt is just too cute.

"That's it!" Taiga declares. "I warned you yesterday, a thousand years of punishment!" She folds her arms across her chest. "This afternoon I'm going to beat it into your head, Namikaze-kun." She clasps her right bicep with her left hand, tilts her head backwards and puffs her chest out.

I smile at Taiga. "I look forward to it," I say with honesty.

Taiga falters. She hadn't expected my reaction. She glowers at me in a sulk before she huffs and puffs, and ushers everyone off to homeroom.

* * *

As I walk out of the dojo, Ayako appears beside me still clad in her archery garb. All of the other students around us have already changed out of their own uniform, leaving Ayako to be the odd one out. I don't point it out to her, and I catch her glancing at me every now and then with a smile.

"What is it?" I ask suspiciously. "Do I have something on my face?" I reach up and wipe my face down. My search comes up clean.

Ayako smile widens. "I told you before," she chides me. "It's a good day. Did you forget already, Naruto?"

I answer with a shrug of my shoulders.

"What do you have first?" I ask her.

"Homeroom," she answers as if it were obvious. I give her a flat look.

"What do you have _after_ homeroom?" I correct my question.

"You should have just asked that first," she taunts me. I resist the urge to rap her on the top of the head with my knuckles. "I have English with Fujimura-sensei," she gives me the answer I wanted.

As soon as we hit the school grounds Ayako parts with me and goes her own separate way, with a good bye and a quick wave. I refrain from pointing out to her that she _still_ isn't wearing the school uniform, or perhaps she's allowed to wear it?

The students are already packing the halls and are moving to their classrooms. I open the door to the room and enter, as I do I catch sight of a familiar fair-faced student. "Good morning Issei," I call out and wave to the resident student body president.

Issei looks away from the orange haired student he is talking to and gives me a brief smile and his own short wave of hand. "Good morning, Naruto-kun," he greets me.

"How are you?"

Issei doesn't answer straight away.

"I had a terrible sleep, I think," Issei answers after a few more moments. "I don't feel quite well rested enough."

He doesn't show it right now, but when he left for school in the morning he all but fell down the stairs at the temple, so I'm incline to believe it.

"Oh, Emiya," Issei says suddenly and looks over my shoulder.

I glance over my shoulder in the direction he is looking. An orange haired student approaches, the one he was talking to yesterday.

"Morning, Issei," the orange haired student greets him.

Issei smiles at the newly arrived student and after a moment of consideration gestures towards 'Emiya'. "Naruto-kun, this is Emiya Shirou, a good friend of mine." He gestures to me. "Emiya, this is Namikaze Naruto."

The orange haired student gives me a smile and offers his hand to me. "I heard yesterday, nice to meet you.

I grin at the action and clasp it. A faint tingle touches my palm. "Namikaze Naruto, good to meet you," I return the greeting. What an odd sensation, but still. He seems like a nice guy.

I absently note that the back of his hand is covered in a patch of gauze, I let go and ask, "What happened to your hand?"

He blinks in confusion before following my gaze to his hand. "Oh, I don't know, I must have hurt it last night, but I don't remember doing it," he confesses. "I wouldn't have noticed it if Sakura hadn't pointed it out this morning."

I blink. "You don't mean Matou Sakura, do you?" I ask curiously.

He nods with a smile. "You've met Sakura?"

I laugh and nod. "I met her yesterday in the archery club."

He blinks, before smiling happily. "You're a member of the archery club already?" He asks, sounding impressed.

Besides us, Issei shakes his head very slightly at our conversation. I had completely forgotten about him. I turn back to speak with him.

"Well, look here, all my friends are together." A cocky voice says from over my shoulder.

"Morning Shinji," Shirou answers the newcomer with a smile.

Shinji appears at my side in all his blue haired glory and a frown manifests on his lips. "Why are you so happy, Emiya?" he asks irritably.

Shirou continues to smile. "I don't think you need a reason to be happy."

A faint smile appears on my lips at his words. Issei and Shinji however, have different reactions. Issei frowns and a look of irritation appears on Shinji's face.

"Good morning everybody!" A sing-along voice overrides the conversation as Taiga bounces into the room with a brilliant smile upon her face. The class responds in chorus and those still out of their seats sit down.

Taiga's homeroom is in session.

As Taiga goes through the class roster, I take note of the empty seat in front of my desk. At the same time Taiga calls out a name.

"Sawada."

Silence meets Taiga's call. She looks up from her desk and frowns. "Sawada Risa?" she calls again, silence remains. Taiga's gaze flickers towards the empty seat in front of me. She frowns, but none the less marks her absent. Rollcall proceeds as normal.

"And that's it for today," Taiga announces cheerfully. "Remember to head home before six, and all that," she waves her hand dismissively as she leaves the room.

Lunch arrives after my first math class. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't do as well as I expected to do, that is to say, I barely managed to get by without shaming myself. As soon as the bell rings the students in the class make their way to lunch. As it was yesterday, only a few girls remain in the classroom.

"Do you want to join Emiya and I for lunch?" Issei asks as he passes my desk.

"No thanks, Issei," I decline politely. "I want to check out the library," I explain to him.

He nods in understanding. "If you do decide to join us we will be in the student council room." He turns away and leaves the classroom.

I lean backwards in my seat and stretch my arms. I stand up and make my way out of the classroom soon after.

The hallways are full of students talking and walking. I make my way towards the staircase before I pause.

I don't even know where the library is.

I frown and glance around quickly. As a matter of fact, I don't know where the student council room is either. I fold my arms across my chest in annoyance and am jostled mildly as a few students force their way past me. In the end I decide to head to semi-familiar ground.

I draw a few stares as I had yesterday. It's starting to annoy me. Are my looks really that far out of the ordinary? I've seen a few girls with blonde hair and an odd orange-ish complexion, isn't that more strange? Eventually I find myself at the entrance to a classroom. I hesitate for a moment before entering.

It's a straight duplicate of my own classroom, the only differences are the students inside and the view out the window. My eyes scan the faces of the students inside the room looking for a specific set. A pair of charcoal black eyes catch mine and suddenly glare.

I smile in return and approach.

"Hello Kaede-chan," I greet her pleasantly.

The tomboyish girl folds her arms across her chest and frowns. "What are you doing here?" she asks sourly, "and where's Risa?" she demands to know. She has an irritated look upon her pretty face.

"She's not at school today," I answer easily. I smile at her companions. "Hello, Himuro-san, Saegusa-san," I greet the silver haired girl, and the diminutive brown haired girl sitting beside them both.

"Good day, Namikaze-san," Himuro's cool voice greets me as she looks up from the magazine in her hands.

"G-good morning, Namikaze-san," Saegusa greets me shyly but with a smile.

"How are you both today?" I ask them and return Saegusa's smile.

"H-hey! Don't ignore me!" Kaede protests. "Why're you here anyway?"

I smile at Kaede sheepishly, and reach up to scratch my cheek. "Well, you see, I wanted to go to the library, but I'm not sure where it is, and I figured you guys would know." I explain to Kaede.

"Don't you have anyone else to ask about that?" Kaede snaps.

I blink in surprise. I wonder why she's being so hostile. "Well, not really, I only arrived at the school yesterday. Oh, and do you know where the student council room is, as well? I forgot to ask Issei where it was before he left."

"I can show you, if you'd like," Himuro offers calmly and pushes her glasses up her nose.

"I'd appreciate that." I beam at her happily. "But you know, you don't have to waste your lunch on me, I can probably find it from directions."

"She's offering to take you and you're trying to get out of it? What kind of a man are you?"

I blink and stare at Kaede.

"That's rude, Maki …" Saegusa murmurs quietly.

"W-what's with that look?" Kaede stammers and looks away from me.

"You're an odd girl, aren't you?" I state my thoughts frankly before I turn back to Himuro. "If you're offering it'd be rude to not accept, right?"

Himuro Kane's lips twitch ever so faintly, and she nods. She moves to stand.

Twin palms slam against the desk and Kaede rises to her feet along side Himuro. "If you're going then we're going as well!" she declares stubbornly.

"That really isn't necessary," I laugh off the offer and try to dissuade the rambunctious girl.

Kaede makes a noise of annoyance and glares at me. "Why are you still arguing over what's already been decided?" she demands to know. "Three beautiful girls are going to accompany you, you should be grateful."

"Well, if you put it that way," I say sarcastically.

Makidera Kaede nods her head happily. I don't think she caught the sarcasm that I purposely used. Perhaps I'm just not good at it. I suppose it couldn't hurt to have them come along. It isn't like I'm exactly against it.

"Okay," I concede. "But you can't complain that I took up your lunch, okay?"

Kaede gives me an overly offended look. "Who'd do a thing such as that?" she asks and looks away.

She would. I'd bet my left hand on it, again.

"Shall we go then?" Himuro asks calmly.

Saegusa nods and stands up.

"I need to return a book anyway," Kaede mumbles under her breath as she fishes through her desk quickly. "Found it!" she exclaims happily before slamming the lid of her desk back down and stepping around it.

The four of us exit the classroom together and the three girls begin to talk amongst themselves.

"I was so sure I'd beat my old time this morning," Kaede complains to Himuro.

"You were close," Saegusa encourages her friend. "It was just outside a second!" she smiles brightly.

"Half a second is forever in sprinting terms," Kaede argues.

I begin to tune out their chatting and observe them as they make their way ahead of me through the crowds. Packaged with her traditionally beautiful features, her tanned skin, and her temperament, Makidera Kaede is a very odd girl.

On the other hand Saegusa Yukika could be said to be the opposite. Average looks, healthy coloured skin and a polite and shy manner and a warm smile. She is much more expected.

The third girl lies somewhere between them. Odd silvery hair, grey eyes, fair skin, cool temperament and a well-rounded bust size, she makes up the balance quite successfully.

Himuro catches my gaze on a glance back towards me. "Do you like track, Namikaze-san?" she asks me and attempts to include me in their conversation.

"I guess so, I'm pretty good at it, I think, but it isn't a hobby or anything."

"Sounds like you're just a simpleton who can't appreciate the beauty of running." Kaede brags.

"I'm pretty sure I could beat you with both my hands tied behind my back," I grin at the back of Kaede's head, and continue to do so as she turns back to me with an odd look upon her face.

"If you did that you'd break your face," she informs me slowly.

I find myself oddly offended. "What I mean is I could beat you easily," I explain it to her in simple terms.

"Not in a million years," Kaede disagreed quite vehemently.

"Wanna bet?" I grin at her.

The tomboy's eyes widen with excitement. "I do! Let's do it right now, and If I win then you have to give me a hundred thousand!"

At the surprised looks Himuro and Saegusa give Kaede, I wonder how much that is exactly, beyond the obvious of a hundred thousand yen.

"Okay," I agree instantly and my grin widens. "And if I win, then all three of you have to call me 'Onii-sama' forever." I point towards the three of them in amusement.

Kaede, Himuro and Saegusa stiffen and look at me as though I've grown another head.

Kaede is the first to snap out of it. "You're a weird bastard, aren't ya?" for a moment a brief accent shines through her voice.

"It's a deal!" she declares happily.

Himuro and Saegusa snap their heads towards her in surprise.

At the looks they give her she huffs. "What? It's not like he'd going to win."

I chortle to myself.

She points towards the school grounds. "Get ready to lose, Namikaze, I'm the fastest girl you'll ever meet." She brags.

Himuro looks like she has something to say to the dark skinned girls declaration, but holds her silence.

"I'm sure you are," I agree and follow her.

She stops by a painted line on the ground. "This is where we start, alright?" She points out to the distance and traces her finger around the perimeter of the school grounds. "You're not blind right? So you can see the marked points? We go around those, the first one back here wins." She points to Saegusa. "Yukicchi, you call it for us, okay?"

The smallish brown haired girl nods to Kaede. "Okay Maki."

I take a good look at 'Maki' and frown.

She notices the look and an angry glint appears in her eyes. "What?" she demands to know.

"Not that I mind you giving me a handicap, not that I need it, but…" I point at her lower half. "Are you really gonna run in a skirt?"

Kaede blinks and looks down at herself.

Kaede, like all the other girls in the school, is wearing the uniform. A uniform which consists of a tanned vest with a red bowknot, a white blouse with an odd red-cross design on the cuffs and collar, and a long black skirt. Though, a difference between Kaede and her companions is that, unlike them, she has knee-high socks instead of pantyhose, which most of the girls wear.

"This…" Kaede begins to say, before trailing off. She points to be in irritation. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be back in ten seconds!" she bursts out into a sprint and runs back towards the classroom building.

I frown and scratch my cheek, before glancing to the two girls still with me.

"So," I begin to say, "Which way is the library."

Himuro wordlessly points towards a two story building with large glass windows on the side and front. I smile at her gratefully. She reaches towards me, but hesitates. "You will wait for her to return, right, Namikaze-san?" she asks and drops her hand.

"Of course, it'd be rude not to," I answer.

It'd be rude, but it'd let me get to the library before the bell rang. I reach up and scratch my cheek.

"Uhm," Saegusa mumbles. "Did you have a good lunch, Namikaze-san?" she asks me quietly and tries to smile.

I shook my head. "I haven't eaten yet."

She blinks and gives me a shy look. "Uhm, do you not eat lunch often?"

No point in lying.

"I don't usually, no,"

"That isn't very healthy," Himuro comments casually.

"I guess so," I can't really disagree.

"You have a big breakfast though, right?" The silver haired girl asks curiously, having turned her full attention to me and having taken over the conversation from Saegusa.

I hesitate in answering. "No, not really."

She stares at me blankly.

"Why are you so tall then?" she murmurs under her breath.

I blink.

"I... uh…" I find myself at a loss for words, and for the first time notice that I am taller than most of the other students. The top of Saegusa's head barely reaches my lips, while Himuro's manages to reach my nose.

"Does Namikaze-san have an eating disorder?" Saegusa asks quietly, concern obvious in her voice.

I laugh awkwardly and shake my head. "I eat.. uh, lots of snacks?" I offer lamely.

It's obvious that the grey eyed Himuro doesn't believe me, however it seems my excuse has satisfied Saegusa. She smiles in relief and nods.

"The cafeteria has a good selection of food and is reasonably priced," Himuro informs me.

I nod idly. "I'll try that some time then."

An odd silence falls and time passes.

"I wish she'd hurry up," I mumble under my breath.

"She will return soon," Himuro informs me and absently pushes her glasses up her nose.

"I'm back! I'm here!" a voice calls from the distance.

I glance towards the class building. A figure is sprinting towards us in a blue and red tracksuit.

"I guess you were right," I agree with Himuro and smile at her.

Her lips twitch faintly.

Kaede comes to a stop before us with a wide grin on her face. "You ready to lose?" she taunts me between breaths. She runs a hand through her short hair and straightens up.

"Are you?" I retort childishly.

She steps up to the line and I take my position beside her. "Here?" I ask.

She frowns. "A bit further away," she insists. "I don't want you to get in my way."

I take a few steps away to make a gap between us. "Is this better?"

Kaede grins. "Much." She nods towards Saegusa. "Ready."

"I'm ready, as well!" I offer with a grin.

Saegusa nods to us and steps closer. She stands just ahead of us to my right. She raises a hand into the air, and holds a stopwatch in the other hand. Beside me Kaede lowers her centre of gravity and touches the track with the tips of her fingers.

"Go!" Saegusa's hand is flung down.

Kaede is off as soon as the small haired girl twitches her arm. She sprints like a bat out of hell.

But then, what does that make me?

I grin as the air rushes past my face and plays with my hair. My legs and feet move in an steady rhythm. I glance beside myself to the inner track and my lips twitch in a smile as I observe Kaede's intensely focused gaze. Her eyes only point forwards, but she notices my look, out of the corner of her eye, her jaw clenches and with a burst of speed she tries to break away from me.

I length my strides and the set pace and easily catch up, and pass Kaede. By the time we're half way around the track I have a two meter gap on Kaede. I don't want to embarrass her too much. My strides shorten ever so slightly, and Kaede begins to catch up.

And then, without warning she shoots past me an unexpected burst of speed.

What a girl, give her an inch and she takes a mile. I find myself observing her from behind as I am reduced to second place. Perhaps it's the eyes of a servants body, but I can see the strain she is putting on herself to beat me, a single-mindedness focused solely on parting me with a hundred thousand yen that I don't have.

It's too bad for her that losing has never been one of my strong points.

I push ever so slightly and catch up to Kaede.

We have a third of the track left.

I'm going to put her in her place, just this once, and give her something to aspire to. I run and run, and go faster, and faster, faster than I should as a pseudo-teenager. I leave Kaede behind in my dust, and soon my dust settles before she even catches up to it.

I past the start line and stumble a few steps as I stop.

I turn back and grin at Kaede as she runs towards me.

It's a beautiful view, first place.

She arrives and glares at me, her face covered with sweat and her chest heaving with long draws of breath.

Saegusa is staring at the watch in her hand with wide eyes. She glances up at me, and then back down at the watch, before glancing back down again, and back up. Himuro is standing over her shoulder staring at me like I've grown another head.

"What is it?" I ask worriedly.

"What is it?" Kaede snaps and approaches Saegusa and Himuro. She stares down at the stopwatch in Saegusa's hands and the blood drains from her features. "That's impossible," she protests. "You must have hit the timer too soon, Saegusa!"

"B-but look, your time is only a second slower than this mornings!"

Kaede stiffens and then she too looks at me as though i've grown another head.

I frown and fold my arms across my chest. "What's wrong?" I ask awkwardly.

Saegusa steps towards me and holds out the stopwatch for me to view.

It reads; 43.59.

"Is that good or something?" I ask awkwardly and scratch my cheek.

"Good," Kaede echoes my words in disbelief. "That's an Olympic time, who the hell are you?" she demands to know.

My eyes widen in surprise and mild panic. "Maybe you timed it wrong," I tried to wave it off, before smiling at Kaede broadly. "No matter what, I still beat you," I taunt her.

The taunt doesn't seem to register while the disbelief at the time and how hard I beat her hasn't settled in.

The bell rings. I frown. "I guess I won't make it to the library after all," I muse. "I'll see you three later," I grin at them and point my thumb at my chest. "Remember, it's Onii-sama now!" I tease them and turn away.

"W-wait, come join the track team!" Saguesa shouts suddenly.

I pause, and turn back.

Saegusa has stepped towards me and is clutching the stopwatch in her hands.

"Why?" I ask in surprise.

She hesitates and loses her voice.

I wave my hand dismissively. "I'm already a member of the archery club, anyway, sorry," I apologise and walk away.

"H-hey! Don't turn your back on me!" Kaede shouts at my back, I resist the urge to turn back to taunt her, and keep on walking.

* * *

The bell rings for the end of the day.

"Everyone remember that curfew is at six, and to be sure to return home straight after your club activities." Taiga says calmly as she observes the class in front of her.

The class seems concerned, they're watching Taiga as if she's about to explode any moment. As soon as she dismisses them, they all but flee from the classroom. I stand to leave and Taiga's head snaps towards me. Her gaze is focused and intense.

I walk past her desk.

"Namikaze-kun," she says suddenly, a hand grips my shoulder with a tight grip. "Please remain after class, if it's convenient for you.

"Even if you say that, Fujimura-sensei," I laugh her request off. "You're holding me here, aren't you?"

Taiga blinks and looks at her hand. "So I am," she muses, but doesn't release her grip.

Soon she and I are the only two left in the room.

She nods to herself and releases my shoulder. She picks a long bag up from behind her desk and walks towards the door. "Come," she orders me. I follow her with no small amount of nervousness.

We walk in silence through the emptying building, and eventually exit from the bottom floor. The entire time Taiga remains silent with her gaze fixed ahead. We arrive at the archery dojo in minutes and as soon as we enter-

"Everyone pay attention!" Taiga roars and slams her foot on the ground.

In the span of a second all eyes are on Taiga.

She walks into the centre of the dojo and points to the back wall. "Everybody off the floor!" she barks an order. They all comply, even Shinji, and his group of girls do as Taiga commands without hesitation. I move to follow them.

"Not you Namikaze-kun!" she points a finger to me as I take a step towards the wall. She reaches into the long bag she carries and throws something towards me. I catch it on reflex.

I blink in surprise and stare at the object in my hand. It's an odd sword with bamboo for the blade and a circular wooden hand guard and white bands round the tip and halfway up the blade.

I look back up in time to see Taiga throw the bag aside and brandish her own 'bamboo sword' at me. Hers is slightly different. It is around the same size, however it looks to be more finely made, and has a small tiger strap on the handle.

"Prepare yourself, Namikaze-kun, for a thousand years of punishment!" Taiga rushes forwards, sword clutched in both hands and attacks.

I change up my grip on the sword she threw me so that I'm holding the handle instead of the 'blade' and block Taiga's attack. The bamboo sword in my hand releases an almighty crack as it meets Taiga's and sends vibrations up my arm.

Taiga isn't happy.

She slashes towards me again and I knock the attack out of the way.

Fire ignites in the Tiger's eyes.

Taiga releases a battle cry and begins an unrelenting fervour of strikes. I have no idea how to properly fight with a sword, but I have faster reflexes and strong arms. Taiga is a ferocious wave that crashes against my beach defence of steel.

I think, I'm getting the hang of it.

For the first time I strike back against Taiga and she expertly parries my strike and manages to thwack me on the shoulder. I blink in surprise and grin. I take a step back and hold the sword in my hand out towards her.

She knocks it aside with an absent swing of her sword and moves to strike my head.

In an instant I bring my arm back and hold the sword between her own and my face.

They meet with a thunderous boom. I bat Taiga's sword aside and lightly poke her shoulder with the tip of the practice sword.

Taiga stares at me in disbelief and she stands still in silence.

And then, her gaze starts to waver.

Her bottom lip starts to quiver.

And she-

"Namikaze-kun you're so mean!" she wails and continuously whacks me with her sword.

The strikes wouldn't have even hurt if I were a normal human. They're like light taps.

"You're mean, super mean, you're not my favourite student anymore!" she continues to cry out in a tantrum.

I'm at a loss for what to say.

I hesitantly reach forwards and pat her on the head.

"There, there, Fujimura-sensei," I say placating.

Taiga sniffs and looks up into my eyes, and then, she whacks my face with her sword.

"Don't treat me like a kid!" she snaps. "I'm your teacher who you just assaulted, you're in trouble!"

I can't help but laugh as I drop the sword in my hand and bring my arm up to block the repeated attacks. The action only causes Taiga's strikes to increase.

Eventually Taiga remembers that we're in the middle of the dojo with the rest of the archery club members watching, or rather, she gets bored.

"Okay everyone, back to practicing!" she smiles at the rest of the club sweetly as if she hadn't just spent the last minute and a half physically assaulting me.

The rest of the club time passes peacefully, if not dully. Taiga refuses to speak with me for the entire time. Ayako is too busy working with the younger students who are having trouble, Sakura doesn't show up until halfway through, and when she does she seems unapproachable.

And Shinji.

He was busy with his groupies, was being the key word.

"Hey, Namikaze, want to come with us to get something to eat in the city?" At the end of the club Shinji approaches me with an offer to join him and his group for a meal in the city.

"No thanks," I politely decline. "I have to do something this afternoon."

"Hey now," Shinji frowns. "I'm inviting you out to spend time with me and these beautiful girls, don't you think you should consider it?"

"Yeah, sempai, come eat with us!" one of the girls chip in with a big smile and an encouraging set of… I avert my gaze from its falling descent.

"Maybe tomorrow?" I offer an alternative. "I really have to take care of something," I inform the blue-haired boy. "But I should be free tomorrow."

"What could be more fun than going to the city with some cute girls?" he asked incredulously.

I hesitate. "Well, I wouldn't call it fun, but I'm going to the library."

A scowl appears on Shinji's lips. "You're turning down my offer to _read_?"

I shrug my shoulders. "It's important," I inform him with an air of finality.

He snorts and turns away. "Whatever, I was just going to introduce you to this gorgeous girl I know," he drawls. "But if you're not interested, that's cool and all, I'll just tell her you'd rather read books instead of take her on a date."

"Tomorrow," I insist.

Shinji gives a bark of laughter. "One time offer, Namikaze."

"Come on sempai!" one of the girls encourages me. "You can buy me a crepe!"

"I really can't," I insist.

The girl pouts in disappointment.

"Whatever," Shinji says dismissively. "It's your loss."

Shinji and his group of girls leave soon after. I watch them go with mild regret.

I probably could have gotten some ramen in the city.

I put away my bow and the arrows collected from the target at the end of the range.

"You heading home, Naruto-kun?" Ayako asks as soon as the majority of students have left.

"Going to the library first," I explain to her. "I was supposed to go at lunch, but got sidetracked.

Ayako brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Want to help me pack up before you leave, then?" she smiles at me.

"Okay," I agree. "No problem."

Ayako laughs. "Good, because I was going to force you to anyway!"

"That's cruel," I inform her, "A girl shouldn't say such bold things." I stick my tongue out at her.

"I'm captain before I'm a girl," she answers my statement with her own. "As long as there are duties to be done it's a captains duty to be straight forward."

"Is that so?" I muse.

She nods happily and begins to instruct me.

In the end it takes ten minutes to pack up the equipment. I resist the urge to point out how messy it is in the equipment room. Doing so would probably earn more work. We end up talking about boring things. School work, archery, food. It's a nice and relaxing atmosphere.

"Thank's for the help, Naruto-kun." Ayako says after the dojo is cleared and locked up. "It was much easier with a second set of hands."

"No problem," I smile at my brown haired captain. "It's a vice-captain's job to assist his captain, isn't it?" I tease her.

Ayako sighs and folds her arms across her chest. "I wish that were the case with Shinji," Ayako laments. "He's too busy picking on new members and trying to impress those girls who hang around him."

Ayako manages to smile at me once more before she waves at me and heads towards the administrative building. "See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun," she calls out.

"See you, Ayako." I call back fondly.

Ayako pauses in mid step, and looks as though she's going to turn back. Instead she shakes her head and continues on.

I watch after her in amusement, before turning away and making my way towards the building that houses the library. It's across the schoolyard. I note that the track team and all the other clubs seem to have gone home for the day. The sun has already dipped bellow the horizon and a beautiful and faint orange glow remains from the sunset.

The cool air of the night has set in upon the cold winter's day air.

I reach the two-story building and try to open the door. It doesn't budge.

I glance around and after making sure that no one is watching I allow my body to momentarily fade into mana, before passing through the wall and into the building.

The inside of the building is warmer than the school grounds and the faint orange glow is even dimmer behind the glass windows. I make my way through the building and quickly find the entrance to the library. I scan the sides of the library for a light-switch, and find one just behind the front desk of the library.

I flip it, and after a few moments a faint buzzing sound fills the library, and fluorescent lights illuminate the rows upon rows of books. At the sight a faint sigh of resignation escapes me. I have a few more hours left before my time runs out.

I'd better get started sooner rather than later, or I probably won't finish in time.

I must be a masochist, really.

Books.


	4. One: Night

**Another night, still a bit shorter then i'd like, but we're hitting the good action soon, look forward to it. ;)**

**Thank's to Glernaj, Mercenary and Xenon from over at DLP for going over this for me.  
**

**Jon**

**Fate/eternia**

**One/night**

* * *

I drop the book in my hands and it falls onto the tablet with a heavy thud. I bring my hands up to my face and palm my eyes. They're sore from the constant strain of reading. My mind is crammed with more information than I can remember. I can already feel the facts slipping through the cracks.

I drop my hands and lay back in my seat.

Around me there are three piles of books.

Books I've read, books I'm going to read, and books I don't want to read.

I'll leave you to guess which is the biggest pile.

There isn't much time left before my mana supply runs out and I find out firsthand what happens when the world gets a chance to crush the existence known as Uzumaki Naruto.

I close my eyes and relax and allow the world's mana to begin to filter into me. While it can't draw enough to regenerate my supply, it's constant stream of energy manages to counter-act the drain that simply _being_ incurs on my body.

It became second nature in my first life, and it's stuck. It's a simple matter to put Senjutsu's function to the back of my mind. It allows me, for even a moment to put everything aside and just be at peace with the world.

In the end I almost fall asleep in the chair. In fact, for a few seconds I probably even dozed off.

The air in the library, without warning or reason suddenly becomes thick and heavy.

Thousands of tiny needles parade through my chest as tiny portions of the mana I draw from the world mix with my own. A scream of pain erupts from my throat at the excruciating sensation and I cut off my connection with the world violently.

I blink repeatedly and stare at the fluorescent lights over head. My heart beats painfully in my chest as though it's about to explode, and the sensation of being torn apart by tiny daggers begins to fade into phantom pain.

My breathing is harsh and I barely manage to stand without stumbling.

The air smells of blood and it has become uncomfortably thick. Someone is poisoning the world around me. But I can sense no hostile intent. I shudder with every breath I take. Each one feels as though I'm drowning in blood. I clutch at my chest and slow my breathing.

Something has changed in the school.

It's likely that someone has put up some sort of field or somehow tainted the supply of mana in the world around the school. I swallow and pull my thoughts together. I don't know if normal humans these days are capable of such feats, but I sincerely doubt it.

This isn't something a human could come up with. It's something more, which means the cause is a Servant.

A frown appears on my lips. But that doesn't make any sense. Master is the only Servant capable of locating Servants from long range. There should be no other Servant who is capable of sensing another's presence without being found themselves.

Despite the circumstance a slight laugh escapes me.

Well, there is one.

The Servant class Assassin.

But, I suck at hiding my presence. I doubt I could manage it even if the enemy was blind. So that means that the Servant who enacted the field shouldn't be aware of my presence. So why did they create the field? The only way to determine that is by finding out what the field does.

But then, I can already tell. It is composed of malicious intents. It isn't something that has a simple purpose such as 'Protection' or 'Restraint', it goes beyond reasonable intention.

I glance at the books surrounding me, and without a thought dismiss them. I probably should put them away, but there are more pressing concerns, the sea of blood that has been enacted around the library.

Or rather... around the entire school.

As I exit the library building my body shudders in revulsion as I'm forced to wade through the spiritual ooze that's encompassed the campus. I feel sickened and dirty as I revert to physical form. Perhaps it's just due to the innate connection I have with nature, but this is an abomination in my eyes.

There is no physical difference to the world. The sky is dark, the moon is bright, the air is cool and the ground is dew laden. I stretch my senses out into the world, despite my misgivings and try to locate the source of the field. At the very least I can find out it's nature and at the most I can destroy it.

I sense multiple seals engraved onto the metaphysical fabric of the campus, and more.

And more.

And more.

They're multiplying.

I stiffen.

Even if that is the case there has to be an original, the first of many.

I walk towards the middle of the school grounds, in the centre of the athletic track. Ten meters away a seal manifests on the ground. It resonates with the others and in a single moment becomes dormant. I move towards it and crouch besides it. I press my hand against the rubbery material of the track and focus. Under my finger tips a static charge seems to build and with small warning the seal bursts into life in an array of purple.

It's an odd seal that I've never encountered before. It's beyond my time and knowledge. I grimace lightly as I stare down at it. I can take a guess to what it does, I have a fairly good idea, if only from my intuition, but more is needed to determine its purpose. I close my eyes and focus on the energy pattern under my palm.

A steady thrum of energy massages my palm. I risk the pain and open myself up, very slightly to the energy. A slither of it connects with my own mana and immediately begins to feast hungrily on what mana it can steal.

That isn't it, no, it isn't consuming.

It's converting.

The seal greedily drank in my mana and changed it into something that makes me nauseas. But it was a trade off well made. Though the connection was small and interrupted I caught sight of an infinitely more complex seal.

I grimace. The location of the original is in the most unlikely and unexpected of places. I cast my gaze towards the archery dojo. The grand seal, the original is somewhere inside. It isn't a complex building so it shouldn't be too hard to find it.

I begin to make my way towards the dojo. I block out the ugly sensation of blood trickling down my throat. It isn't really there; it's just a fake sensation. I repeat the mantra in my head, but even still I find myself grimacing and trying to stop the constantly trickle with my tongue.

I press my hand against the steel grate covering the entrance to the dojo and push through as my body momentarily shifts into spirit form, only to revert back as soon as I pass through the door.

I shudder at the sensation of being submerged in gore and steel my nerves.

The inside of the archery range is dim, illuminated only by the light cast down from the moon and stars in the sky. The grass on the range glisten with dew and a faint mist wafts along the ground. I close my eyes and stretch out my senses. A faint signature of mana resonates within the walls. I step towards the source slowly and bring my hands up. My eyes remain closed as I feel out for the location of the seal.

The hardwood walls press against my hand and I trail my palms over them. Jolts of energy pass from the wall onto my hands and I flinch away. I open my eyes and stare at the blank wall in surprise.

This is something that is beyond the level of mortal capability.

"Noble Phantasm," I whisper under my breath and stare at it in awe.

This is something beyond my understanding.

I take a step back and hesitate.

This is something I'll have to talk to Master about. She is probably the only one who is capable of destroying it. I feel as though if I tried in my current state it'd tear my form asunder.

I take another step back.

My back presses against something soft.

My body tenses. A faint breath blows against the back of my neck and a shudder runs down my spine as the scent of blood fills the room.

I swallow.

This is a worst case scenario.

I close my eyes and calm my breath.

I can sense it now, behind me, a presence similar to my own.

"What are you doing here, little boy?" the Servant asks softly.

"I…" I begin to say before faltering. 'Little boy' she don't-they can't tell that I'm also a Servant? I… can use this.

I stumble forwards and spin around to face the enemy Servant.

I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't what I was faced with.

A figure stands in the middle of the dojo illuminated by the faintest glow of moonlight. The Servant is a girl. Long lavender hair cascades down her back and over her shoulders and lays just a hairs width short of brushing the ground. Her features are delicate and almost angelic in their purity, her lips look soft and hold the smallest of smiles as she observes me.

Which is quite a feat.

She wears an odd blindfold of a dark purple material that is bound at the front by two small plates of metal. Above it, on her forehead an odd glyph is situated. It's a blood-red mark that screams abomination at me, despite her beautiful features.

For the first time my eyes dip below her neck to her body, and as they do they trace the existence of a collar of the same material as her blindfold, and then, nothing. A smooth expanse of skin flows down the top half of her body my eyes linger on her bare shoulders before they fall further south and meet, with some mild disappointment, the hem of a shoulder less black dress that begins just a cut bellow her armpits and ends a cut above mid thigh.

Her arms are covered by a set of detached sleeves which have bracers of the same purple material as her collar and blindfold. Her legs are covered from her lower thighs downwards by a long perfectly fitted expanse of black material, topped with purple, and boots cover her feet.

As my eyes move back up, my gaze can't help but linger at the gap between her dress and her thigh-high boots. Nor can it help but linger upon the generous amount of cleavage that the dress she wears exhibits.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asks softly and takes a step towards me. I take a step back. Her lips work further. "Please, take your time, I don't mind."

I grit my teeth. It's not like I _wanted_ to give an exposition of what she looked like.

"Who are you?" I ask her quietly and glance around her for an exit. Even if she is a Servant, being blindfolded is a stupid thing to do, though considering her dress perhaps it's her master that's making her wear such clothing.

"You can call me Rider," she murmurs and takes another step forwards.

That's helpful. The enemy is a Rider class, well, no, that isn't helpful Rider is one of the faster classes in the war, it's going to make it harder to escape without revealing my own powers.

I take another step back and my back presses up against the back wall of the dojo.

"Now," she murmurs quietly. "How did you get inside here?" she pauses. "and why are you at school so late, little boy? Don't you know there is a curfew?"

I grit my teeth. I hate being talked down to.

She steps forwards again in a casual manner and moves within arms reach. "It's for your own protection," she informs me. "If you don't obey the rules, you might meet someone like… me." The shudder that runs down my spine isn't fake.

I tense my muscles and in a split second lunge to the side. I restrain my body so that my reaction is within human capabilities.

The air is forced out of my lungs as a heavy boot slams into my chest and knocks me back against the wall. My head slams into the wall at impact and I collapse to the ground.

"Oh, don't try and escape," she purrs and crouches in front of me. She smiles and brings a hand up to my face and brushes a strand of hair behind my ears. "If you do that I'll have to cut your eyes out," she informs me in a sweet voice.

What a horrible personality she has.

I roll to the side and make a break for it. I narrowly avoid a second kick by momentarily reading her body language and manage to stumble out onto the range. My feet hit the few soaked grass heavily and I break into a dash towards the metal mesh fence that lines the sides of the range. I jump at it and latch more than half way up the chain fence rattles under my weight. In five seconds I've scaled the later and dropped down on the other side.

I burst into a sprint and run towards the front of the school.

The chain fence rattles again.

Something slams into my side and I barely manage to hold myself up. The strength behind the blow manages to knock me off of my feet.

The chain fence rattles again and I scramble to my feet.

The dirt beside my leg explodes in a shower as something strikes it.

"It's rude to leave a girl without giving her a goodbye kiss." Rider's voice echoes from all around me. I leap forwards and tuck in my shoulders in time to avoid something as it grazes my cheek.

The chain fence rattles again, which doesn't make sense considering how far behind me it is. My eyes widen and a flash of steel appears in front of me. My lower body jerks out from underneath me as a chain wraps around my throat and pulls me backwards.

I hit the ground and immediately roll to the side. I turn to face Rider and steel my nerves. It's pretty obvious that she isn't going to let me escape. My eyes trace Rider's black clad form as she stands several feet away from me, somehow catching my every movement from behind her blindfold.

I'm not strong enough to kill her, and if I use my full power to escape that'd give away this identity. But then, that's already happened, hasn't it? The very act of investigating the seals at the school, and being put into this position has trapped me in a corner.

I let out a slow breath and straighten up. For the first time I take note of Rider's weapon.

In each hand she grips a long nail-like spike. At the base of each spike is a ring with a strange spiked shape, and attached to that is a long chain that hangs between the twin weapons. It's an odd weapon. The fact that I've yet to be pierced by one of those makes it clear that Rider has yet to decide to stop toying with me.

"Why are you so calm?" Rider asks me slowly. "Why do you not scream for help or try to fight back?"

I grin at her. "I wouldn't be much of a man if I screamed for someone to save me from a pretty girl, would I?" Alternatively, because if I did scream for someone to help no one would hear me, and if I do fight back the game would be up.

Rider tilts her head to the side and in an instant rushes forwards. I lunge to the side to avoid it but the action isn't quick enough to completely dodge. The tip of Rider's nail-weapon slashes my arm and splits the skin.

I roll along the ground and come up in a crouch. I clutch my arm and my eyes flicker around the schoolyard for signs of the black-clad Servant.

"You have good instincts," she compliments me, and a second later the tip of her weapon is pressed against the underside of my chin. All my movements freeze. My breathing becomes shallow. Rider's body presses against my back in the most distracting of ways. She presses the nail up into my jaw and I tilt my head back to put some distance between my jugular and the deadly weapon.

"Good boy," Rider murmurs. "That's perfect.

Per-

My lips part in a silence scream as fangs tear into my exposed throat. An arm wraps around my body and holds me steady against the Servant as she greedily bites into the side of my neck. A burning sensation erupts from my neck. The dagger-like nail in Rider's hands vanish and she clutches the underside of my jaw and holds my head back.

I can feel it, my mana, the energy levels inside my body dropping to abysmal levels. Thought becomes impos...sible.

I shake my head against her grip and begin to struggle. It's a futile effort, I've let myself be put into a position of weakness and Rider is abusing it for all it's worth. Which just happens to be all my blood. My body sags against hers and she slowly lowers me to the ground.

As Rider continues to drain me of my lifeblood I feel my body beginning to protest as the world mercilessly claws at it. Rider's grip continues to lax as she becomes assured of my weakness.

Which is what I've been waiting for.

With a burst of strength and effort I throw her off of me and gag in pain as her teeth are torn from my neck. I fling myself away from her, towards the main street.

I run.

And run.

And run.

I run so hard I can't feel my limbs.

I can't feel her behind me.

But then, I can't feel anything. Everything seems like deadweight.

I run.

And run.

And run.

And make it out of the school grounds. I stumble and falter I turn to face the school, and in the distance I can make out Rider's figure, in the same spot, watching me with a satisfied bloody smile on her lips. She turns away and vanishes.

She doesn't even bother to wait to see if I'm going to die.

What a horrible woman.

My eyelids become heavy as the urge to fall asleep rises.

I lean against the whitewashed wall at the front of the school and slide down it.

Blood continues to leak from the wound on my neck, and along with it the rest of my life force.

I chuckle lightly as I turn my gaze up to the sky.

Overhead the moon shines down half full, half empty.

This wasn't as productive a night as I had hoped it would be.

My eyes drift closed.

And then.

I sleep.

* * *

The scent of long since dried blood wakes me from my sleep. I blearily crack my eyes open and wince as a stabbing pain registers on my throat. I reach up and gently massage it, my fingers trail over unmarred flesh.

I sniff the air again and grimace.

The gentle rustle of trees blowing in the wind catches my attention, and for the first moment I actually look at my surroundings. The forest surrounding Ryuudou temple surrounds me, the gate that I'm supposed to guard lays beneath me. I frown. How did I get here? I could of sworn that I-

That's right.

Indignation and embarrassment rise up within me. I grimace and clutch my head. To think, that a Servant like Rider could have been summoned. Really, what is the definition of 'Heroic Spirit' in the current era, for someone such as Rider to be called such a thing?

I stand up atop the template gate and stare down at the long path to the base of the mountain.

No one is approaching.

I turn away and make my way onto the temple grounds. I don't really have to worry about being seen at this time of night, so I remain in my physical form and casually stroll my way towards Master's room.

Master's room is at the back of the temple, isolated from the rest of the population. Whether they decided to give it to her, or she decided to claim it from the monks herself, I don't know, not do I particularly care.

The smell of incense lingers in the air.

The wooden slates beneath my feet creek with every step I take. Eventually I find myself at the back of the temple, outside a closed door. Master lies beyond it, I can sense her presence at the edge of my mind, like the first rays of sunlight in the morning.

For a moment I consider just opening the door and barging inside, but I hesitate, I doubt Master would appreciate the act. Not only that, but there seems to be a weak cloak surrounding the door. I raise my hand and rap my knuckle twice against the wooden frame.

For a moment nothing happens, and then the sense of energy dissipates, and I feel it is safe to touch the door itself. The doors in the temple have no locks or latches to keep them closed, I imagine that is why Master has enacted a barrier at the entrance, to keep people from unwittingly entering.

I enter the room and am bathed in darkness. The hairs on the back of my neck begin to sizzle unpleasantly as a current of magical energy caresses by body like a snake's tongue. It's hideous and disgusting.

I open my mouth to voice my displeasure and abruptly fall silent as words fail me.

It's difficult to express such things when my master kneels before me in the middle of her room, not when for the first time she has her hood lowered, and I can gaze upon her features freely.

This is what you'd call a critical moment.

A point within the story called 'the Holy Grail War' that will shape future interactions. Paths beyond paths are laid bare here, each action follows onto a string of paths. Some of them stretch out into forever, others meet un untimely dead end. It's hard to keep track of the potential routes.

I move forwards in silence and kneel before my Master.

My Master is.. a beautiful woman. She has soft, lovely features that do not belong in this age of artificial beauty and exaggerated attributes. Her eyes and hair are a gentle shade of powder blue, they compliment her fair skin and the gentle curve of her face. Her bangs are long, and her hair flows down her back. Behind her left ear is a braid of hair that traverses the distance of her back, and ends in a ribbon. The oddest feature she possesses is her ears, They are pointed and stick out from beneath the waves of blue that frame her face.

My heart thumps inside my chest.

She wears a cool expression and meets my gaze neutrally as I take in her appearance. I wonder if she'd object if my gaze travelled down further, my eyes linger on her neck, the soft delicate flesh bound with a fitting collar of black silk. I allow my gaze to drop a bit further and trace the curve of her body through the material of her robe for the first time without her cloak.

Her eyes are fixated in front of her. They do not acknowledge me.

She kneels in the middle of the room, in her hands she holds a sphere of purple smoke that is constantly moving. I stare at it, transfixed. Within the wisps of magic two figures are moving. A tall man of indeterminate age dressed in an odd uniform with short slicked back spiky hair, and beside him a younger girl walks in a red overcoat. Part of her hair is long and tied up into twin tails, while the rest flows behind her as she walks. She looks familiar.

The figures in the smoke vanish in moments as if they had never been there, and the smoke twists and twirls and vanishes as Master drops her hands.

For the first time she turns her gaze up and looks upon me.

"Did you want something, my Servant?" she asks me calmly.

I meet her gaze and smile pleasantly. "Who was that?" I ask her.

"Archer and his Master," she informs me. "He was summoned last night."

I nod. "Did you know that Rider has put up a barrier over the school?" I don't hesitate to ask my question.

Master pauses and regards me silently, before she brings her hands up again, and from the air a vortex of purple mist appears and fashions, itself into a scale model of the school grounds. I watch as a translucent dome of purple envelops the campus.

"I watched it as it occurred," Master informs me. She turns her gaze up to mine again and stares at me. "My question to you, servant of mine, is how do you know of it?"

I blink.

I smile and wave my hand dismissively. "Well, it's not like I _saw_ it happen myself." I laugh nervously.

Master's lips quirk up ever so slightly. "Of course," she agrees. "I would know if you had abandoned your duties again, and I would be very displeased." She stares at me in silence for a few seconds.

"What is it about that institute that draws your attention so?" she asks me.

I don't answer, and instead cast my gaze down at the swirling mist in her hands.

"I see," she murmurs under her breath. "Did you perhaps want me to do something about the field?" she asks me.

I bite my bottom lip and after a moment nod.

"I see."

Bored blue eyes observe me critically.

"Why should I?" she asks me a simple question.

I hesitate in answering.

"Because Souchirou Kuzuki works at the school as a teacher," I inform her.

The magic in the room crackles maliciously and Master's eyes taken on a hostile focus. It seems as though mentioning the teacher was the wrong thing to do. The fact she would go so far as to use a command seal to stop me from slicing the man's head from his shoulders, speaks for itself. I'm still surprised she hasn't confronted me about the event.

"You will not speak to Souchirou-sama."

"You will not look at Souchirou-sama."

"You will not breathe the same air as Souchirou-sama."

A shudder runs down my spine.

"Do you understand, Servant of mine?"

I grimace and nod. "Of course, Master." I agree submissively. Unless he does it first, of course, then it is out of my hands.

The air in the room begins to thin out again and the latent magic in the air becomes dormant again. I frown. I suppose this is Master's workshop, or rather, her temple. The area where her magical arts are easiest to use, and contains the excess magic she does not have immediate use for.

"Souchirou-sama will not be effected by the craft," she informs me. "There is no need to remove it, for it does not pose a problem."

I don't try and push the matter. "In that case," I say after a moment. "Will you allow me to go take care of the Servant who created it?"

"No."

I blink in surprise.

"You will remain at your post until I tell you otherwise," she informs me calmly. "The sixth servant has been summoned, only Saber remains to be called into play. The beginning of the war is almost upon us.

I will not have to waste your mana on servants that do not approach the temple. We will let the other servants massacre each other."

I frown.

"Do you have something to say?" Master queries me, daring me to contradict her words.

No, I don't.

Why would I?

Why would I be offended by your decision for me to stay on the sidelines and let everyone else kill each other indiscriminately? Why would I find it aggravating to be told to be a good doggy and play dead?

I smile at Master pleasantly. "I don't." I rise from my position on the ground and stare down at Master. "Thank you for your time, Master." I turn to leave and walk towards the door.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Master calls my name.

I pause.

"Obey my orders and I will see to it that your wish is granted."

My… wish? By following your orders I'm being denied my wish.

I shut the door behind me as I leave the room. The constant sensation of magic smothering the surface of my skin vanishes and the cool air buffets my skin.

I inhale.

I exhale.

I walk away from Master's room, back towards the gate temple. Emotions bubble away inside of me, threatening to spill forth in the form of a rant.

I reach the temple gate and slouch down on the steps beneath it. I sigh and stare out into the sea of darkness peppered by pinpricks of light.

My breathing has returned to normal.

I no longer feel the urge to scream.

Inhale.

Exhale.

I blink and stare down the path to the base of the mountain. On the way up is a small figure of white and purple. I peer curiously down at it and tilt my head to the side. The figure slowly becomes bigger as it approaches.

A bit bigger, but not by much.

A small, young white haired girl approaches the temple gate. A heavy coat of purple adorns her. She has large red eyes and red cheeks from the cold. She gazes up at me with an air of silence.

Our eyes meet.

"Hello little one, are you lost?"


	5. Two: Day

**...and suddenly an update.**

**Jon**

**Fate/eternia**

**Two/day**

* * *

The moment I step onto the school grounds the faint scent of blood and wrongness assaults my senses. I quickly put it to the back of my mind and ignore it. There are a few students around me chatting aimlessly to their friends as we enter the school grounds. They don't seem to notice the ominous presence that has settled over the school since yesterday. In fact a lot of them seem quite happy.

There is no sight of the blood that was spilled last night. Where it landed there are no obvious signs that it was there, nor anything to suggest it had been cleaned up.

"Onii-sama!" a girl calls out from in front of me. I look up in time to see a familiar tomboyish girl running towards me in her blue and red tracksuit. She sports a grin on her face, at odds with how she reacted yesterday at lunchtime. "Onii-sama!" she calls again, drawing looks from the students around me.

"Kaede-chan," I greet her with my own smile as she comes to a stop in front of me. She slips around to my side and continues walking with me.

"How was your night?" The perpetual smile on her lips is of mild concern to me. Maybe this is what the barrier that Rider set up during the night does? Somehow, I doubt it.

"I had an okay night. I managed to get to the library after school."

Kaede blinks, and then her cheeks flush and she ducks her head. She mumbles an apology under her breath, before looking at me and smiling again. She slips an arm around my own and holds it against her side. "I have someone who wants to meet you!" she informs me happily. "I want you to meet them to, so you'll come, won't you… Onii-sama?" it seems like it costs her something to address me in such a manner.

"I have time," I agree to go with her. During the mornings at this time it seems that all I do is have tea with Ayako, so it won't be too much trouble to spend this one morning away.

Kaede smiles brightly and pulls me along towards the middle of the school grounds. There is a loose group of people and bags. Most of them are wearing the same blue and red tracksuit as Kaede. I recognize two familiar faces, and more than a few unfamiliar ones. Most notice our approach, most are looking at me with suspicion and some with outright hostility.

"Onii-sama."

"Himuro-san," I greet the grey haired girl as Kaede pulls me along towards her two friends. "Yukika-san," I greet the second girl.

"Na…On…" she stumbles over herself. I can't help but smile.

"Hey! Coach! I brought him!" Kaede yanks me away from Himuro and Yukika towards a teacher who is standing amongst the track team members. I don't think I've ever seen him before. He has nondescript features. Nothing particular about him stands out.

"This is the guy who you said ran 400 meters in 44 seconds?" he doesn't sound impressed.

"He did it! I'll prove it!" she pulls me towards the track, and pushes me onto it. "Come on Onii-sama! Do it like you did yesterday!" She all but demands I prove that she was telling the truth.

I reach up and scratch my cheek. "Is this really necessary?"

Kaede balls her fists at her side and glares me. "Of course it is! I'm going along with your request and calling you Onii-sama, despite how embarrassing it is! The least you could do is prove to everyone that I'm not lying when I said you ran a good time!"

Well… when she puts it like that.

"Okay," I agree reluctantly. "But only this once, okay?"

Kaede nods triumphantly and points towards the coach. "Time him yourself so there can be no doubts!" she demands.

The rest of the track team is watching on in curiosity.

"Yeah, alright," the coach says dismissively. "Boy, are you ready?" He addresses me.

"I am," I agree and resist the urge to frown I turn to face the proper direction on the track and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

"Aren't you going to get ready?" The coach asks me flatly.

I turn to look at him in confusion. "I am ready?"

His look turns to one of disbelief. "Whatever."

A few seconds passed.

"Go." He says in a loud clear voice and I move.

The wind rushes past my ears as I run. It's a pleasant sound that is somewhat nostalgic. I can't remember how hard I ran previously, nor can I be bothered to count the seconds as I run, so I run at a decent pace. I meet halfway in very little time, and on my way back I speed up, ever so slightly. As I approach the last ten meters I take note of the looks of disbelief I am given by the members of the track team, the pleased look Kaede is sporting and the neutral, and excited ones that Himuro and Saegusa offer.

The look the coach gives is the best one. Flat disbelief is apparent on his face. I cross the finish line and his finger twitches out of habit, stopping the watch in his hand.

I approach the coach and Kaede, who has stolen the watch out of the adults hands. She's clutching it with a look of glee on her features and all but jumping in place.

"See! See! I told you! Look at his time! He's not human!" she gushes and thrusts the watch out to her fellow members, allowing them to look at the time.

"What?" I stammer in surprise. Kaede turns me to with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Onii-sama," she says sweetly and clasps her hands together in an endearing fashion. She flutters her eyelashes. When Kaede tries, it seems she can be a sweet and pretty girl.

"Yes, Kaede-chan?" I ask politely.

"Let's get married!" She exclaims before reaching forwards and clasping my hands in hers.

"Denied!" A girl snaps from behind Kaede.

I look over Kaede's shoulder to a figure that is rapidly approaching with a furious gleam in her eyes.

A figure who happens to have brown neck length hair and brown eyes that are brutally honest.

A figure wearing the black and white uniform of the archery club.

A figure who happens to be Ayako.

"What do you think you're doing Makidera?" Ayako demands to know before switching her hostile gaze to me. To my surprise, it hardens even further. "Namikaze, why aren't you at club?" She demands to know and folds her arms across her chest.

"Well… you see." I mumble under my breath.

Thankfully, or rather unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, Kaede decided to take the initiative.

"It's exactly what it looks like, he's trying out for the track club!" She steps in front of me and confronts Ayako with a steely gaze. She thrusts the stopwatch in her hands into Ayako's face. "See his time? 43.19 that's a millisecond behind breaking the Olympic record!" She states triumphantly. "Whatever he's doing in your crappy club can't even compare to such a thing!" She draws her arms back and folds them across her chest.

A scary look appears on Ayako's features. Kaede takes a step backwards and bumps against my front. "You're quite full of yourself, aren't you Makidera? I guess we know who'll be doing clean up for the rest of her life."

Kaede flinches and looks away, before gathering her resolve and glaring right back at Ayako. "It's not your decision, Mitsuzuri. He's a consenting student so you don't have a say in it."

Ayako's gaze once again turns to me.

"You're a consenting student," she echoes Kaede's words slowly. "Then you'll accept responsibility for your careless actions?"

I wonder how it's possible for such a pretty girl to be so intimidating. I smile at Ayako and try to defuse the situation. "Kaede-chan just asked me to do a lap around the course, that's it, captain, really."

She seems to relax a bit at my words.

"Hey, hey! Don't discount the track team! You run amazingly and you aren't even doing it properly. If you joined you could become world famous!" Kaede pulls my attention back to her. She stares up into my eyes with a fierce determination. What a complete turnaround from the girl who yesterday was so obtuse

I could become world famous, huh? Once upon a time that would have excited me like nobody's business, so why does it ring so hollow in my ears? But still, it does ring. A look of consideration must have appeared on my face, because once again, irritation begins to overtake Ayako.

"The tea is getting cold," she informs me calmly. Despite her words, her eye twitches.

"We'd better go and drink it then," I say gently and take a step around Kaede.

I'm stopped as a hand grasps mine tightly.

"Don't go Onii-sama," Kaede protests and clutches my hand tightly.

I'm stuck between a rock and a pouting girl.

"Ayako-chaaan!" A new voice sings out and catches my attention.

"Fujimura-sensei," Ayako greets the newcomer.

I freeze and can only watch as Fujimura Taiga, the teacher in charge of the archery dojo, approaches with a carefree look upon her face. She stops besides Ayako and gives her a look of disapproval.

"What are you doing out here?" Taiga asks with a stern voice. "The dojo is open and empty, and you forgot to turn off the kettle."

Ayako smiles at Taiga. "I'm sorry sensei, but one of our members was being poached by the track team, and I thought it would be best to take our precious club member back."

A frown appears on Taiga's lips and her eyes scan the rest of the students faces, before eventually coming to rest on my own. We stare at each other in silence. A slow understanding creeps into Taiga's eyes.

"Namikaze-kun!" She shouts at me. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're running away leaving the archery club?"

"Of course not." I laugh her question off. My hand is tugged by Kaede again.

"Of course he is!" Kaede says to Taiga in a loud voice. "He's an amazing runner, his talent is wasted on the likes of pieces of wood and string!"

A stunned look appears on Taiga's features, and she transfers her gaze from mine down to Kaede's. "Oh, Makidera-san, how are you?" she asks politely, before frowning and seemingly comprehending what the younger girl had said to her.

"Oh my, a young girl such as yourself shouldn't say such dangerous things, Makidera-san." Taiga says sweetly. Somehow, I feel it is more frightening than having her burst out in anger.

Kaede slips behind me and puts me between her and the short haired teacher.

"L-like I said," Kaede stammers. "He's an amazing archer, so he should stay with the archery club, r-right?"

Taiga nods happily in approval.

Behind her Ayako watches on in satisfaction.

"Hey," I protest, "don't I get a say in this?"

Taiga blinks at me. "Of course, Namikaze-kun," she smiles at me expectantly.

It takes me a few moments to realize she's waiting for me to tell her what I want to do.

"You want to stay with the archery club, don't you?" she supplies for me happily.

Or maybe she wasn't. Taiga sweeps forwards and slips an arm around my waist and directs me to follow her away from Kaede. I glance back at the tanned girl and smile apologetically.

Kaede glares at me sullenly but doesn't protest against Taiga's heavy-handed tactics.

* * *

"Really Namikaze-kun," Taiga says disapprovingly as she leads me back to the archery dojo. "What were you thinking, allowing them to strong hand you like that?" She gives me a stern look that is complimented by the look of satisfaction that Ayako wears.

"She just asked me to run for a bit, that's all." I explain to Taiga. "I didn't realize she wanted me to join the track team."

"You're too naïve," Taiga informs me as she drops her arm from my waist, apparently satisfied with the distance between the track team and I. "What if they had tricked you into joining?" She demands to know. "How could I stand having my prized student taken away from me?" She gives Ayako a look of appreciation. "You're lucky Mitsuzuri-san was there to make sure you didn't stray from the path."

I suddenly wonder if I had accidentally joined the school's Mafia.

Eventually we arrive back at the Archery club. People have already started to arrive and seem confused with the lack of Ayako's commanding presence, or perhaps it is because Shinji is the one belting out orders as if he owns club.

Beside me, Ayako stares at the scene with raised eyebrows. On my other side, Taiga mimics the reaction. Eventually Shinji's gaze strays towards us and a look of shock appears on his face as his eyes make contact with mine. His jaw drops and his lips part, but in a few seconds he regains his composure. I frown and stare at him. He looks away, to the two people beside me.

"Mitsuzuri, Fujimura-sensei, I was just getting everyone set up for the day, since you both weren't here," he explains away easily. He gestures towards the throng of members going about their morning rounds. "See? They're all doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Sure, except for the group of girls sitting at the back of the archery dojo chatting amongst themselves as if they hadn't a care in the world.

"That's impressive, Matou, it'd be more impressive if you had bothered to get dressed," Ayako says calmly.

Shinji's jaw clenches. "I was busy doing your job for you," he snaps out waspishly. "I didn't have time to get changed."

"Neither did your junior members," Ayako observes, turning her gaze to the gaggle of girls at the back of the club.

"Now, now," Taiga says placating. "Thank you Matou-kun for taking care of the members while we fetched a troublesome student."

I opened my mouth to protest, but thought better of it a second later. I smile at Shinji. "So, Shinji, want to go get that ramen this afternoon?" I ask casually. Shinji's gaze snaps to me with a glare.

"Who the hell would spend time with you?" He snaps out and turns away.

I blink and frown again. I wonder if he is really a guy. The way he changes mood day after day would suggest otherwise. Ayako smiles at me in amusement and shrugs her shoulders.

A thoughtful expression overtakes Ayako's features as she appraises me. "You haven't gone to the Nurses to be measured yet, have you?" she asks me casually.

I shake my head. "I got…" I trail off awkwardly. I doubt Ayako would be pleased if I told her that I didn't go because I was sidetracked by Kaede, not that that was the case, I had wanted to go to the library after all. "I haven't," I answer honestly and simply.

She nods to herself. "Lunchtime I will take you to the Nurses to make sure you get measured," she informs me. "I don't trust you to go by yourself and stay faithful."

I blink and give the brown haired girl a look of amusement. "'Faithful'," I echo.

Ayako's lips quirk. "You almost got stolen away by a bunch of girls," she says flatly. "If it wasn't for me you would have joined the dark side and Fujimura-sensei would have ended your life to save your soul." Ayako lifts her hand and points to the back of the room. "Take a seat, as punishment you have to watch everyone else practice."

That doesn't sound like much of a punishment to me. A faint smile flickers to life on my lips.

"Tomorrow morning I will be teaching you how to properly prepare tea," Ayako informs me as she notices my smile that as quickly as it appears, wilts. I open my mouth to protest, only for my voice to fall silent and Ayako mouths 'Go' to me.

I puff my cheeks out, but none the less head to the back of the dojo, where a few of the members are sitting around talking. Shinji's group is over in the corner chatting with one another, though they keep throwing nervous looks towards Ayako.

I spy a purple haired girl sitting by herself. She has a blank look upon her features as she observes the archers. I don't think she realizes that Ayako, Taiga and I arrived. She seems to be in a trance. She doesn't notice me until I plop down beside her.

Sakura startles as she notices the new presence at her side. Her eyes widen in surprise and mild shock. "N-Naruto-san," she stammers, "Y-you're okay." Her expression steels itself for a moment, before she visibly relaxes. "You're okay…" She whispers softly.

Why wouldn't I be okay? I'm a bit late, I suppose, and Fujimura-sensei did hit me pretty hard for a normal person.

"It takes more than a pretty girl to hurt me," I inform her teasingly.

Sakura's eyes widen again.

"Even if Fujimura-sensei is a Tiger," I whisper to her with a smile.

"Fuji…mura..sensei…" Sakura murmurs before shaking her head and smiling at me faintly. "Is that right?"

I nod.

Sakura falls quiet again and turns her gaze to the archery range again, however this time there is a glimmer of something in her eyes that hadn't been there previously. We fall into a comfortable silence and I turn my gaze to the archery range. Sooner than I would have liked Ayako calls out to the archery club and informs them that morning practice is over.

* * *

I yawn and stretch out against my chair. The back of my neck cracks pleasantly and I'm rewarded with a warm feeling through my upper body. The lunch time bell rang a few moments ago. Students are doing a mixture of crowding around desks, or leaving to eat elsewhere. My eyes flicker towards the chair in front of me.

It's empty again today. I'm begining to become concerned.

"Namikaze-kun," someone calls out to me from the front of the room.

Issei stands half turned towards the classroom exit. Beside him Emiya Shirou, his orange haired friend stands with a patient look upon his features. "Do you wana spend lunch with us?" He asks me politely.

I blink and consider the offer. "I don't have anything for lunch," I say honestly.

"I don't mind sharing with you," Shirou says from beside Issei. "Sa..I packed too much to eat for myself." He smiles at me sheepishly.

I go silent for a moment and consider the offer.

"That... would be nice," I say after a few moments and smile at Shirou. "Thank you," I say honestly and stand up from my chair. "I'll make it up to you," I promise him and step around the desks and move to the front of the room. When I reach the pair they continue to walk out of the room, and we make our way out of the classroom and throught he throngs of students towards a room somewhere around the middle of the third floor. When we arrive the door isn't open, but it isn't locked either.

Issei opens the door and Shirou and I follow him inside. The room itself is rather spartan. There is a set of alumnium lockers to the side of the room, a long white table down the centre, surrounded by alunium chairs, and a white board at the other end of the room. It's a pristine and sterile room. Even the white board hasn't got any marks on it from the black markers that sit upon the undertray. Issei heads to the back of the classroom and draws a kettle , three cups and some tea bags from one of the lockers. Shirou sits down on one of the middle seats and I take a chair across from him.

Issei and Shirou begin to chat about inane things. I quickly learn that Shirou has a hobby of repairing school equipment that has become defunct. It's an admirable thing to do. Apparently his latest conquest was a broken down heater that had managed to die a few days prior. I end up zoning out as they talk, and in the end decline Shirou and Issei's offers of food.

I have decided that the first food that will pass my lips will be ramen, a food that has transcended time and space itself to exist after time imemorial.

"Emiya, could you give me some of that fried chicken? My lunch is desperately lacking in meat." Issei says suddenly.

Across him Shirou responds, "Sure, but why is your lunch so plain? You live in a temple but there aren't any teachings prohibiting meat or alcohol, right?"

Issei frowns ever so slightly. "Such an anachronism," he murmurs. "It's just my father's way. He says there's no luxurious foods for a young priest, and that I should have to work for what I want. I'm thinking of running away and joining the circus."

I quirk an eyebrow ever so slightly at Issei, but don't say anything.

"Oh, yeah, that sounds like that guy." Shirou responds after a moment, before handing his lunch box over the table to Issei.

"Thank you. This too is part of my religious training." Issei says and bows to the orange haired student across from him.

I resist the urge to laugh at the sight. I have a feeling it wouldn't be received well in this day and age, or well, any day or age, really. A thousand years ago laughing at a priest would earn you a few lashings. a thousand years before that mocking the gods earned you a one way ticket to sacrificeville.

"Oh, by the way, did you both know there was something going on around the 2nd avenue? It's right around the intersection where we part, Emiya."

I blink at the sudden change in topic and go silent, listening to the bespeckled boy-priest.

"I head there was a murder. I don't know the details, but of the family of four, only the child survived. They say the older sister and the parents were stabbed to death. But what's strange is that they think the weapon was a long one, not like a knife or something."

I stiffen despite myself. Long, unlike a knife? So far I've met two people who could classify for that.

Lancer and Rider.

A lance and a set of nails the size of small swords.

Lancer, despite his vicious attitude doesn't seem like the kind of person who would murder a family, or at least murder them and leave the youngest alive. My lips peel back ever so slightly as the memory of the purple-haired servant I encountered on the previous night. As if to remind me the macabre atmosphere presses down on me like a wet blanket.

"Issei, have they caught the murderer?"

Emiya Shirou distracts me momentarily and I glance towards him. He has an intense look upon his features as he stares across the table at Issei.

"It doesn't seem like it," Issei replies after a moment and folds his arms across his chest. "Accidents from faulty construction in Shinto, and murder here. It's no wonder they're making the curfew here at school ear- what's wrong, Emiya? Did you choke on something?"

Shirou's expression clears up into something akin to confusion. "Nothing, what's wrong?"

"No... I was just surprised since you had a nasty expression. Sorry this wasn't something I should have talked about during lunch." Issei tries to soften the air with an apology before his gaze flickers towards me. "I suppose it isn't such a pleasant thing to transfer in to either."

"It's unfortunate," I admit. It's unfortunate that such things were destined to occur with the preparation for the Holy Grail War. Servants and Masters with few moral inhibitions are not against using human suffering to empower themselves.

Eventually time passes and someone knocks on the door. Issei stands up and lightly dabs his mouth with a napkin, before setting it down and moving to open the door.

"Can I help you Makider-" Issei begins to say, before he is cut off and nudged aside. A familiar face pokes through the door and glances around. Black eyes widen in recognition as they make contact with mine and the slim form of Makidera Kaede forces her way inside the room and past Issei, earning her a glare and a flustered look from Issei. "This is the stud-" Issei begins to lecture, only for Kaede to wave him off.

"I'm pretty sure these two aren't members of the council," the tanned girl says dismissively as she stalks towards me with a deceptively sweet look set upon her features. Behind her Himuro enters the room, unobstructed by an indignant Issei who has eyes only for Kaede.

The grey haired schoolgirl gives me a short nod of ackowledgement, along with the orange haired Shirou behind me. "I've found you!" Kaede announces triumphantly and points towards me.

I lift a hand and give her a short wave. "Hi," I say amicably.

Kaede's eyes narrow at my greeting, but her expression soon mellows out into something pleasant. She sets a hand upon her left hip and takes a moment to observe me. "You're hard to find," Kaede remarks. "I thought you'd be at the Archery range, and I had to deal with Mitsuzuri," she says 'captains name with obvious contempt and steps up to where I am sitting.

She stares down at me with a wide smile. For once I find myself looking up at her. It's an odd angle to see her from. Her uniform hides the contours of her athletic build quite well.

"O~nii~sama," Kaede sings in a musical tone and continues to smile as she slips around me and gestures for Himuro to approach. I remain sitting and wonder if it's the best idea to let Kaede move behind me where I can't see her. Himuro moves forwards to where Kaede had been moments before. She looks down at me with an unusually flustered expression in comparison to her usual look. That is to say her cheeks were very, ever so slightly flushed. But that could be due to the chill outside.

It takes me a few seconds to realize why, as a few seconds later my vision if blanked out due to the sudden impact and closeness of a clothed and pleasantly soft body. The edges of my vision are suddenly filled with white and the sound of a click and buzz.

"Makidera-san!" Issei says, sounding appalled. I lift my hands up calmly and place them against Himuro's shoulders, leaning backwards. The grey haired girls flush has spread to the rest of her cheeks and she refuses to look at me. I calmly turn around to Kaede with a flat look.

She holds a small camera in her hands and is grinning at me like she's won the lottery. Her eyes are shut and her white teeth gleam happily as she clutches the camera. Her finger flicks down and the light on it flashes again, momentarily blinding me. In the moment my vision is blinded she manages to slip around me and laughs, waving the camera around haphazardly. "Join the track team or everyone's going to find out what a deviant you are!" Kaede taunts me and tugs upon Himuro's arm, pulling her towards the door.

Only to be stopped by a stern looking Issei, standing in front of a shut door and blocking their exit. A look of annoyance flashes across Kaede's features at the sudden obstacle in her path. Beside me Shirou watches in amusement, however there is no amusement to be found on Issei's features.

It takes me a few moments to realize that she was trying to blackmail me. I can't help it.

I laugh and in the process receive four shocked- well three shocked looks and one raised eyebrow that probably counts as shock. I push myself back from the table and stand up, facing the three near the door. I smile widely at Kaede. "Now, if you want to blackmail me," I trail off and begin to approach Kaede with a suggestive look upon my features.

Kaede stares back at me, eyes wide and almost frightful. She on reflex takes a step back, and a moment later flees the room, Himuro in tow. Issei stands to the side and looks between the girl's fleeing backs and me.

"That was... odd," Shirou comments from his seat.

"Women are all poisonous serpents," Issei states insistantly, glancing between Shirou and myself. "This should be a lesson to you both," he informs us and absently pushes his glasses up his nose.

I'm incline to agree with him at this moment. I hesitate in my decision on what to do. On one hand, as far as blackmail material goes it's pretty weak, on the other hand it might be enough in this day and age to ruin my reputation in the school... Or perhaps give me a reputation. I continue to ponder while standing in the student council room.

There is another quiet knock upon the door. A moment later it opens. "Excuse me, is Ryuudou here?"

I tense as Kuzki Souchirou enters the student council room. He is wearing the same dark green suit that he has been in every other time I've see him. He has a serious and stern expression upon his features and towers over the other students in the room. His gaze sweeps the room and immediately centers on Issei.

"Huh?" Oh, what is it Sensei?" Issei addresses Souchirou as he turns towards him.

They enter into a dialogue and the teacher seems to ignore my and Shirou's presence in the room as he converses with Issei, who seems to relax in the presence of the one who makes me want to kill him simply by existing. Beside me Shirou looks to the pair with an astonished look. I suppose this isn't a usual occurance. I hold my silence and obsereve the Master of my Master until the bell rings to signal the end of lunch, she did say that I shouldn't interact with him, after all- as well as to not breath the same air as him.

I wonder if I should be holding my breath.

* * *

By the time club activities are over, the sun has begun to fall beyond the mountains to the west and cast an orange shadow over the school. In the end I didn't manage to catch Kaede again, apparently she felt sick and needed to go home before the end of the last period. In the end Shinji was stuck with cleaning duty and I was sent 'home' early.

Ayako ended up taking an active role in instructing me in the ancient art of archery in retribution for the mornings events. It didn't help matters that Taiga encouraged Ayako's plan and that at the end of the day I was left with a quiver empty of arrows and a target without a single arrow on the bullseye. I have a feeling Ayako knew how much such a thing would irk me and had 'instructed' me for that result.

I casually walk towards the entrance of the school.

The scent of blood clings to the air and saturates it in an unpleasant thickness. But despite the macabre atmosphere the air feels chilly and fresh in the last rays of sunlight for the day.

There is a figure standing at the gate as I approach it.

Grey hair is stained auburn in the glow of the sun. Himuro Kane stands patiently at the gate waiting for someone, or something. Her eyes light up ever so slightly in a way that a normal human wouldn't be able to notice as her eyes make contact with mine. I smile at her as I approach and despite herself she seems to return it very faintly.

"Namikaze-san," she greets me plainly, as I stop in front of her. "I apologise for Maki's actions during lunch, and for any discomfort we caused you," she says after a moment of internal debate. "She was- is very excited to see someone who can run that fast and without any proper training or form." It seems Makidera Kaede isn't the only one who is excited by the prospect. The inflection on her voice changes as she continues to speak.

I continue to smile at her as she talks, and she slowly trails off into silence as she looks to me. "It's no problem," I assure her. "It didn't bother me a bit." I promise her, reaching over and clasping her on the shoulder. She flushes ever so slightly, almost invisibly under the golden glow of the afternoon. I'm beginning to become concerned. I'm fairly certain that your average girl isn't supposed to be reacting this way, but I put it to the back of my mind. "I'd love to join the track team," I inform her, "But if I did," I paused for a moment and drops my hand from her shoulder, laughing. "Well, you saw how they acted this morning?" I teased lightly.

Himuro Kane nods in understanding and turns away towards the road outside of the school ever so slightly. "Have a good evening, Onii-sama." Her voice goes soft towards the end of her final words, almost inaudible.

"Do you want to go to the city with me, Himuro?" I ask suddenly.

Himuro pauses and turns back to me with a surprised look upon her features that quickly turns into a faint smile. "Do you mean a date?" She asks me bluntly.

I blink in surprise. "If you want," I say easily and smile.

The grey haired girl seems to consider the idea for a few moments, before nodding. "Alright," she agrees.

I walk towards Himuro, and as I reach her she turns towards the road and begins to walk besides me in silence. I glance out of the corner of my eye towards her and a feeling of mild affection appears. Girls in the age of information are so nonviolent, it's refreshing. Without hesitation I cross the boundary of the school, and immediately the weight of the atmosphere lifts from my shoulders. I give an audible sigh of relief as the taint of the barrier surrounding the school evaporates from my skin and earn myself an odd look from my companion.

There are very few students around as we walk towards the shopping district that laid between the northern and southern residential districts. It's a peculiar thing to see as you walk down the divide between the two sects of housing. On one side there is a very strong traditional Japanese presence in the structure of the houses, however on the opposite side there is a strong presence of foreign mansions.

"It must seem peculiar to see from an outsiders perspective," Himuro begins to say without warning. She goes silent and doesn't elaborate. It's probably unnecessary since I'm not being covert with my glances at the houses as we walk. Eventually we arrive at a corridor of shops and a red-bricked road that lays between them. There are a few students around, looking in shops, and from the looks of it working in some of them.

"Do you do sprinting?" I ask as we pass an open restaurant. The smell of cooked spices and the sound of sizzling meat is heavy in the air and momentarily draws my attention as the heat in the air stings my nose in an almost unpleasant fashion.

"I do long jump," Himuro informs me after a moment.

I suppose it's understandable. Unlike Kaede, Himuro's bust is considerably more full, I suppose the word is. I give Himuro's body an evaluating look. Her skirt hides her lower body, so I can't gauge her physical condition. My eyes flicker up as soon as Himuro's brow quirks and her cheeks tinge pink.

"Sorry," I apologise half-heartedly with a smile, and ask, "Are you any good?"

A small flash of irritation appears, but its only brief. "I am competent," she answers shortly, "I prefer intellectual pursuits but I find it enjoyable to do such things." She pauses for a moment and glances back at me. "Is that strange?" She asks me.

"It isn't strange," I reassure her. "I like girls who aren't lazy," I tell her honestly. My efforts are rewarded with a small pleased smile. "What kind of books do you like to read?" I ask another question.

The grey haired schoolgirl hesitates for a fraction of a second. "I read many books," she deflects the question with the ease of a politician.

I smile at her in amusement and reach over, poking her shoulder lightly. "That's not what I asked," I tease.

Himuro goes silent and as she does we exit the corridor of shops and continue on to more urban housing. I don't push for her answer. That'd be rude, and make the air even more awkward than it currently is. It takes a few minutes, and by the time the shopping corridor is out of sight Himuro finally decides to answer. "I like books about psychology," she says quietly.  
I tilt my head to the side at her answer. "What's that like?" I ask.

I receive a strange, if not relieved look from Himuro. The grey haired girl smiles at me thankfully and goes on to explain the intricacies of human mental functions and behaviours. It's interesting to listen to, but unfortunately half of what I hear from one ear goes out the other. This sort of knowledge isn't mine to own, but it's interesting all the same. By the time she is finished speaking of Man's search for Meaning, and the intricacies of existentialism we've reached the Miongawa river that splits the suburban districts' of Miyama from the newer urban area Shinto. Connecting the two is a large red bridge that spans the river. There are walk ways for pedestrians on each side with white guard rails.

Himuro glances to me as we cross the bridge, and absently shifts her bag upon her shoulder. "Would you tell me about yourself, Onii-sama?" She asks with an air of interest.

I take a moment to consider my response.

"My name is Naruto, I was born on the 10th of October in a village called Konoha. I'm an orphan and I like ramen." I answer easily and leave out the small details such as 'Uzumaki', and the fact that I was born in a village that existed from time immemorial, or that I'm technically dead.

Quite simply, at the peak of my civilization the Age of the Gods was nothing but a twinkle in its eye.

Himuro's gaze widens a fraction when the word 'orphan' comes from my lips, and then her gaze softens. Girls are strange like that; simple things like ones past can invoke sympathy.

"My name is… Kane," she says after a moment.

"Ka-chan," I sing out teasingly.

Himuro Kane ignores me and continues to speak. "I was born in Fuyuki, my father is the Mayor of Fuyuki and I like books." She parodies my answers and leaves out a few bits.

She lifts a hand up and points to the distant city in front of us, specifically at a tall high-rise near the river. "I live there," she says shortly.

I nod. I technically live on the Ryuudou temple stairs, but I don't think that's an appropriate answer. "I'm looking for a place to rent right now," I tell her. "I'm staying at temporary accommodation."

She nods and accepts my answer easily.

We arrive at the opposite side of the bridge. Himuro Kane comes to a halt beside a set of stairs that leads down to a low set pier that runs along the edge of the river.

"I need to go home," she tells me softly and smiles. It's a beautiful and warm sight in the last rays of sunshine. She hesitates on a step towards me, before nodding at me, and turning away. I watch as she walks away with an affectionate gleam in my eye.


	6. Two: Night Part 1

**This was written a few years ago and posted on DLP but never here. Uh, enjoy? It's only about half of what I had ever intended for this chapter. I lost the majority of what I wrote a few years ago so ended up not continuing. Let's see if I can finish this one, ha.**

**Jon**

**Fate/eternia**

**Two/night Part 1/2  
**

* * *

"Marry me."

I couldn't help myself. My voice flows from my lips, low, husky, filled with desire. Before I know what has happened my hands cross the distance that spans between the Goddess that fills all my senses with the most beautiful of sights, sounds, smells taste and touch.

Her obsidian eyes widen, and a light pink hued flush stains her pale cheeks. The ambient light that surrounds us catches upon the her skin and seemed to make her sparkle, like some sort of failure of a vampire. I gently caress the top of her hand with my thumb and continue to smile at her beseechingly.

"W-what?" she stammers in an awkward and utterly cute manner.

"Will you Marry me," I repeat as calmly and seriously as I am capable of.

She freezes and is incapable of moving, having been captured by my gaze.

"Oi," The Ramen God behind the fourth wall calls to me in his ominous and booming voice. "Get your hands off my son."

Wait.

What.

Son?

I blink and peer at the person before me, who is standing frozen on the other side of the counter. My eye twitches as the boy's adam's apple bobs as he swallows, and I release their hand.

"My mistake," I admit and lean backward son my stool.

The Ramen Assistant all but flees from my circle of influence. I suppose that makes sense, even if he is sort of pretty. I pick my chopsticks up from the counter and twirl them around between my fingertips. My tongue slips out and rolls along my lips. The taste of the latest ramen's broth assaults my tongue with a pleasant savoury tingle. Oddly enough I don't feel full in the slightest. My endless ramen appetite doesn't seem to be quenched in the slightest.

"We're closing soon," The ramen chef informs me as he hands me my apparent final bowl of ramen for the night.

Steam coalesces in the air and the scent of ramen once again assaults my senses. The heat burns my nose as I inhale in a nostalgic fashion. I begin to salivate even before my lips are parted.

Really, there is nothing better.

I pointedly stop the twirl of the wooden chopsticks in my fingers and roll them between my fingertips. The smooth sanded and polished grain feels pleasant. I take my time and savour every bite, every noodle, and every sip. It is a wondrous thing that if I can somehow claim the Holy Grail will last forever.

Unfortunately, nothing of mortal origin lasts forever. Eventually my bounty is lost to the ravenous beast that lies behind my navel. A light burp escapes my lips and with the action my meal is over.

"That'll be six thousand yen," The ramen assistant mumbles to me under his breath, refusing to meet my eyes.

I smile at him and hold out both my hands. I hold them palm up before scrunching the hands closed. "Pick a hand," I tell him.

He stares at me in disbelief. "Excuse me?" He asks incredulously.

"Pick a hand," I repeat calmly, my eyes twinkling in amusement.

Behind me on the main street, the sound of a siren whirring momentarily deafens me and causes the assistant to wince at the volume. The ramen assistant's nostrils flare and he grits his teeth. He points to my right hand. "That one," he says shortly.

"That one?" I echo in disbelief. "Are you sure?" The pointed hand unfurls and reveals a crumpled ten thousand yen note. The dark haired boys eyes widen in disbelief. I extend the note-carrying hand and offer it to him. "Make a tab for me," I request with a pleasant smile. "I'll be back," I promise him and stand up.

"We don't do tabs," he states absently as his mind furiously attempts to unravel the mysterious power of my hand. Which is quite mysterious, and powerful, if I do say so myself.

I shrug my shoulders. "Consider it a tip?" I offer. The look of disbelief returns in full force as I stand up from my barstool and give another smile and wave. "I'll be back," I repeat my statement in amusement, and receive a hurried nod.

I walk from the shops front onto the street and scan the road. In the distance I can still hear the sirens heading towards the north east. They'll probably take another minute before they arrive at their destination. It's a shame that their response time is so slow, or perhaps it's the people who called up taking too long?

It's a pleasant night.

The cool air hangs heavy over the city and people make their way around, going from work to home, spending time out with friends or family, working, painting, dancing. There are many things people do when they're in the city.

A crimson gaze matches mine from across the street.

Across the street and floor blocks away.

I blink in surprise and peer at the figure in the distance. They're sitting straight and proper upon a chair in front of a café. In one hand, a goblet of wine is held, cradled between their fingertips.

They are neither servant, nor master. They are something that does not belong in this war.

A demon?

A spirit?

A vampire?

A shinso?

A magus?

A hero?

A villain?

A king?

A queen?

A knight?

A rook?

A pawn?

Perhaps they are something even more unexpected, such as a man?

Perhaps not that last one. Even from the distance between us, I can make out delicate features that adorn their face. High cheekbones, soft pink lips, stained ever so slightly with the red from the wine. Long golden hair, that cascades past their shoulders and beyond my line of sight down their back. A mocking, challenging smile takes place upon their lips as they watch me take in their profile.

There is something startlingly familiar about the action, and I soon find myself following my feet towards them, across the road and down all four blocks. All the while they remain in their seat, lightly sipping upon their wine, their gaze fixated upon me as I approach.

Eventually I arrive and stand before them.

Their eyes continue to match mine, a shimmer of amusement is present in their crimson gaze.

"What are you?" I ask bluntly and without tact.

A golden brow slowly arches itself at the question, and another sip of wine is taken, before the goblet is set down upon the table between us.

"Do you not remember me, friend?" Their soft voice is a soprano that invokes a stir of emotion in my chest that lacks quantifiable quantities. Pink lips twitch ever so slightly at a reaction that they should not have been able to perceive.

An eternity of memories is jumbled, blurred, and incoherent. I stare at the face that the unknown quantity presents. There is something familiar about it, about them.

I draw the chair across from them out, sit down upon it, and regard them. "What do you know about me? I ask calmly.

A small hand reaches to the goblet sitting upon the café table. A digit touches upon the silvery rim and begins to trace along its edge. "In truth, I am unsure of what is true, and what is false," the words come from their lips slowly and with deliberation.

I've begun to realize that their gaze has not left mine since it first found me. It's become unnerving and almost surreal.

"Tell me, what name are you using?"

I blink and stare hard at the person in front of me. Their large red eyes stare back curiously.

"Naruto," I say slowly, before I ask. "Who are you?"

A ghost of a smile haunts their lips and their finger twitches, sending the goblet tumbling over and spilling the small amount of wine it retained across the table. The dark red liquid spreads over the table and is soaked up by a set of paper napkins that lay upon it. The white is stained red, and yet, my question goes unanswered, just like the ones that preceded it. It takes a few seconds for the sharp smell of the wine to cut through the cold winter air. The smell is clean and has a faint spiced cherry aroma to it. It isn't a kind of wine that is common in this day and age.

My eyes remain fixed upon the beings in front of me, even as the goblet begins to roll across the tables surface to the edge.. It arrives in a slow roll and hangs precariously upon the edge for a moment that extends into a seeming eternity.

And then it falls.

But there is no sound.

Where there should have been the sound of metal hitting pavement, there is none. If I took my gaze off the person in front of me, and looked, where there should be a goblet of silver, there would be none. That is to say, I don't need to look to know the conclusion.

Silence falls between us, just as the goblet had moments prior. I'm not sure what one would call the atmosphere that settles into place. People that were once around the café have found excuses to be somewhere, anywhere else. The waiters and servitors have moved into the shop actual and left the outside alone. The atmosphere isn't exactly tense, nor is it relaxed.

An unknown amount time is lost as we stare at one another.

But eventually one of the staff of the cafe manages to bring themselves to approach the table. That of itself is a feat worthy of praise. The weight of the tension that exists is palpable to even a mundane sense of danger.

"Excuse me," a man says in a quiet, nervous voice as he approaches the table. He is wearing a simple black and white waiters uniform. In his hands he is clutching a board that has no documents, recopies or menus on it, and yet it is clutched as a lifeline.

I suppose my mysterious encounter didn't order anything from the café.

My eyes narrow ever so slightly as a worrisome thought passes my mind.

At the same time the one opposite to me smiles, and their eyes widen in pleasure.

"That is right."

Three words flow forth from their lips and hold meaning beyond their measure.

This is…

Impossible?

Or perhaps I'm just deluding myself.

It is impossible for someone who I have not met to have been waiting for me without knowing my name. Such a thing is inconceivable.

There is a sudden clatter as they stand up and their chair is pushed backwards.

"We will meet soon."

These are the words that end our encounter, they hold a promise of future interactions.

I watch as they stand and disappear into the night. Their presence is visible for blocks. They stand out as a radiant star in the masses that draws glances and parts the flow of bodies by simply being.

"Uhm," The forgotten staff of the café attempts to get my attention, causing me to draw my gaze away from the retreating back of the departed.

I receive a quick and practiced smile from the waiter. "Would you like to order?"

"Do you have ramen?"

Their eyes widen in confusion as the question is posed, and they quickly shake their head in the negative.

"I don't want to order," I inform them as I rise from my seat.

I turn to walk away, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of the split wine on the table. Despite myself I reach over to the table and gently dab my finger upon one of the crimson napkins. I bring my finger tip to my lips and gently touch it upon the tip of my tongue. The taste is somewhat ruined by the inclusion of such illustrious flavours such as napkin, table, crumbs and spilt coffee, much to my disappointment.

As I turn to walk away, the look of relief on the waiter's features almost makes me laugh. Almost being the key word, instead, a frown touches my lips. Despite having vanished into the crowds and being gone from my sight, the red-eyed figure remains firmly set in my mind.

At least, that was the case until my senses suddenly go berserk. My head snaps upwards and my eyes tear across the dark shadows that stretch between the tops of the buildings. A flicker of black in the darkness catches my eye for a moment, before it vanishes with a swirl of purple hair. My lips part in surprise and a sudden excitement fills me.

This is _it_.

Revenge arrives with a delightful air of elegance and poise.

Without hesitation, I slip out of the main street into an alley way and in a split second, with a stray thought my form unravels and shifts to form a new body. Blonde hair becomes black lengthens. Blue eyes become grey and seemingly larger, My skin darkens and my features become softer , my muscles smooth out ever so slightly and school clothes become a dark suit of orange-not unlike the one Kuzuki Souchirou wears. Oh, and I sprout a pair of breasts, but that is another story all together.

I kick off the ground and bound off the walls of the alleyway, up and up until my feet touch upon the edge of the top of the building, and I push off onto the roof. My eyes flicker across the rooftops in search of my target. In the near distance, I spy my target. Smooth black material stretches over curves and slender form.

Rider moves with grace befitting something inhuman as she leaps from rooftop to rooftop and in some cases from rooftop to building side. She doesn't seem to notice her transition from stalker to prey. My feet touch lightly upon the surfaces of the rooftops as I move after her. Despite my Presence Concealment being of abysmally low rank it still seems to be more than sufficient to keep the purple haired fiend from noticing my approach.

For a while at least, eventually she notices.

Rider's head tilts ever so slightly backwards and in that moment my muscles tense, and as my feet touch down upon the rooftop a surge of mana pulses through my legs, I kick off with enough force to crack the cement underfoot. In less than a second, a gap that spanned three rooftops shortens to a few feet.

But, for a heroic spirit that is more than enough time to react to a threat. Rider's body contorts in mid-air and twists towards the threat that now faces her. Despite having an otherworldly blindfold across her eyes, she is remarkably able at sensing threats.

Our bodies collide at a remarkable speed, and unfortunately for Rider , while she was able to notice my attack, she wasn't able to prepare herself from mid-air. The air is forced out of Rider's chest as my fist collides with her stomach. Her slim body is sent rocketing towards the side of a building behind her. The black-clad body shifts again as she hurtles backwards, just prior to slamming into the building.

Instead of the almighty crash of a body being smashed through a glass window, I'm rewarded with the sight of Rider in a crouching posture, her hands and legs spread out low against the side of the building. The windows beneath her seem to be completely intact, an otherwise impossibility. A flicker of a frown appears on Rider's lips as she regards me.

It happens in the span of a second. During which I'm left momentarily defenceless in the air, my momentum having been spent. The black-clad servants muscles tense and the air around her warps as a long chain materializes into existence, each end attached to a large dagger-like spike that she holds in each hand.

Rider launches herself at me as I fall with a force that should have shattered the side of the window as surely as the force that had sent her to it. Rider is upon me in seconds. I braced for an impact that never arrived. Rider surges past me and my head snaps around in surprise. The surprise explodes as a torrent of metallic links wraps around my body. A grunt escapes me as I'm jerked backwards by the chains. The world spins as I'm flung from the chains and away. The world tumbles and spirals before I catch sight of the impending obstacle in my ballistic trajectory.

My body curls momentarily, before my legs snap out and touch upon the roof of a four-story building. My feet slide upon the smooth concrete surface and eventually the edge of the roof hits my heel. My head snaps up and I flex my fingers. Metal materializes within my palms and fling my hands upwards, swapping ends for ends.

The roof beneath me cracks from the force of impact, and there is a flash of sparks as metal meets metal. A weak grinding sound permeates the air as the spike-like daggers of Rider try to pierce my chest. A vicious grin appears on my features as I hold my hands steady.

Rider's lips twitch ever so slightly into a frown.

Between us our weapons are locked in stalemate. The tips of Rider's spikes are threaded through the loops at the end of the kunai in my hand. She has been put into a precarious position. She can't push forwards and impale me with them, nor can she withdraw without opening herself up to a stabby counter to the face

"You're quite vicious, aren't you?" I remark casually and slowly press forwards, pushing the spikes away from my chest. Slowly, but surely as I push, Rider loses ground and her feet begin to slip backwards against the smooth surface of the rooftop.

Her lips thin out for a moment, as if something particularly unsightly has caught her attention. A moment later her features smooth out again and her muscles tense in preparation for action.

It happens in an instant. The purple haired servant lunges backwards. Her spikes slip from her hands and she narrowly avoids being gutted by the twin blades in my hands. Her leg slips through the chain that connects the deadly implements and a moment later snaps backwards. The wicked looking spikes fly towards her and she snatches them out of the air, before she hops backwards once, then twice, and then off the side of the building.

There is no hesitation as I chase after her and lunge off the side of the building. Wind rushes past my face and I resist the urge to shut my eyes as the cold air cuts against them. On reflex I slash my left hand in front of my body and deflect a spike off of its path with my face.

The lights from the city below blur as my body picks up speed in its free fall. Never the less my gaze is fixated upon the body of the woman clad in black two levels beneath me. It seems she doesn't want to fight. "Don't run away you coward!" I shout at the falling figure bellow me, though my words seem to be lost in the cacophony of wind.

Rider spirals in the air as she falls and moments later her feet slam against the building aside her and she is away. Rider leaps away from the building with the grace of a gazelle. She momentarily touches upon the side of another building before disappearing into the night in a torrent of black and purple. A snarl escapes me and I slash my hands in front of my body. The kunai slips from my fingers with deadly accuracy.

It's a fluid motion that Rider makes as she dodges them.

I twist my body and slam my feet against the side of the building. Unfortunately for it's owner I'm not as graceful as Rider. The building's side gives a groan of pained steel and a crack of shattered glass as I launch myself after Rider.

There are cries of surprise from the street bellow as the shards of glass rain down upon the unsuspecting populace below.

Really, it's their own fault for not bringing a glass-proof umbrella out for the night.

I twist my body and momentarily ignore the laws of physics as I mimic Rider's action and traverse the side of the building. At the very edge of the building Rider appears for a moment, before slipping around the side. My eyes narrow, and a sudden influx of mana charges through my body momentarily boosting my speed tenfold. In an instant my body explodes into motion, and a moment later my hand snaps out. The tips of my fingers crunch through something solid and porous, and my body is shunted out of its sudden boost in speed as my hand clutched the edge of the building. The cement under my hand crumbles, but not before I'm able to slingshot myself around the corner of the building.

I slam into a purple and black figure. My vision is momentarily clouded with thousands of strands of lavender. My hands slip from the sleek otherworldly material of Rider's taut outfit. My fingers make constant with smooth silky skin and clamp down upon it. The world spins and colours and darkness blurs as I slam my foot into Rider a cute gasp of pain escapes her before she is sent on a crash course with the top of a hardware store.

A rattle of chain catches my attention for a moment, before a grunt of pain and surprise escapes me as I'm suddenly yanked downwards. My eyes momentarily catch sight of Rider and the length of chain she holds in her hands… and the other end which is wrapped around my ankle.

The top of the hardware store rushes to meet me. I snap my hands and legs out and greet it like a long lost lover. The building hits me at full speed and my bones momentarily turn to dust from the force of impact. Under my hands and feet the cement roof has cracked, and spider webs stretch out from each point of impact.

And then my back explodes in agony as Rider's boots slam into my spine with the force of a small car. The fractured building underneath me gives way to the tremendous force.

Concrete, steel, and Naruto rains down upon isle seven.

Unfortunately there is no clean-up crew.

The store is blanketed in darkness and the moonlight shines down upon the interior of the store through dust and the newly built skylight.

From the sensation of thousands upon thousands of tiny needles sticking into my face I'm fairly certain I landed upon a bed of nails, and with the wares that the store sells that might be the case. My head swims as I with lift myself out of a pile of rubble. The lack of spikes impaling me is rather disconcerting. I reach up to my face and absently pick out a nail before giving it a disgruntled look and flicking it away.

The shard of iron bounces off a rock and clattered to the floor.

There is silence in the store. There is no movement, but Rider is close by.

A ferocious roar suddenly erupts from somewhere in the store and I lunge to the side narrowly avoiding getting slice in two by something spinning and metallic. I spin around and stretch my fingers out, calling upon my innate ability to summon the tools of my once trade.

The composition of the kunai is a simple thing, converting pure mana into something resembling matter is slightly more difficult, but easy after an eon. Unfortunately the creation fails and the mana form of the kunai is incapable of materializing. My attention has been attracted and captivated by the sight before me.

Rider sits atop her mighty steel steed. The beast trembles and vibrates. Its roars are accompanied by a pillow of noxious fumes. It's a fearsome and surreal sight. In the darkness, Rider observes me with a cool expression, all the while riding atop a chainsaw in the most peculiar of positions. Not for the first time my capability to determine reality from delusion has failed me. My lips part but no sound escapes. The steel blade and teeth of the chainsaw gleam from the weak light that is reflected from the hole in the roof.

"Careful," I warn her absently as I come out of my daze. "You might cut your hair."

Rider's lips twitch, and like a gunshot she is away. The chainsaw lets out a roar and tears across the store floor. At the last moment Rider's legs, in an act that boggles the mind kicks the chainsaw at my face.

I tilt my head to the side, and watch in disbelief as the toothed blade sails past my head. It takes me a few seconds to remember that I was supposed to be stabbing her in payback. By the time I do remember Rider has disappeared back up the hole in the roof, leaving me amidst the rubble and hardware.

And then, with perfect timing, the alarm goes off. Spinning red lights suddenly illuminate the hardware store and a shrieking siren deafens me.

I calmly dust the excessive amount of dirt off my transformed outfit and pointedly ignore the eardrum shatteringly loud alarm. At some point, I couldn't tell exactly _when,_ the tables had turned, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I kick off of the ground and leap through the hole in the ceiling.

My eyes scan the night for signs of Rider. As expected she didn't stick around, or at the very least is no longer visible to the naked eye. My lips twitch ever so slightly into a frown as I shut my eyes and still my body and expand my senses.

It takes a few seconds longer than usual amidst the unnatural landscape of cement but eventually the world begins to flow. The cool winter air sings a song of serenity broken by the sirens blaring beneath me, the horns of cars and the chatter of humanity. The building beneath me thrums with the live current of the wires running through it. As I draw in the mana in the surroundings the constant drain on my mana lulls and slows until it's barely noticeable.

A flicker of an unusual aura catches my attention and my head snaps towards the bridge. A unique existence is moving closer and closer to it, amongst the tops of the buildings.

That isn't to say it is the only one. There are three other such signatures in the city, Beings that cannot be counted as human by any stretch of imagination, but this is the most familiar. Its presence is that of blood and scales. It is something both coy and familiar; it holds no joy or happiness.

Before I realize it my lips are set in a frown.

Without another thought I launch myself towards the bridge in pursuit. With the aid of a burst of mana I scale the building beside the skyscraper in an instant. Another burst and another sudden acceleration and I find myself astride the next building, and the next.

On the fourth burst I arrive at an unexpected scene.

A dark figure stands atop of the next building.

Rider stands tall, her hair blowing in the breeze. The moon shines down upon us from above, showering the woman's figure in a luminous glow. Her face is set cold as she observes me from behind her blindfold. It seems she has grown tired of running away. It's both fortunate and unfortunate.

"You're lucky we aren't on the…" I begin to say, before trailing off, my lips quirking down into a frown as I stop myself from giving away my home ground.

"The temple?" Rider offers coolly.

My body freezes as Rider states something she shouldn't know.

The black servant's features take on an amused expression. "I was correct," she says and tilts her head to the side. "Your weapon would make you Assassin, correct?"

The tension in my body eases and I let out a soft laugh. "Who knows?" I lift my hand up and point it towards her, palm open. I clench my fist, and as I do something materializes within my grasp. Kunai aren't the only tools I am capable of summoning.

Within my grasp I hold the entirety of my civilization.

Nothing is beyond my reach.

A length of immaterial steel folds in upon itself countless times as it is recreated from a long since dead era. In seconds a weapon of indescribable nostalgia is held within my fingers. It is the blade of a long dead enemy.

The White Serpent.

It is a blade stained with the blood of countless men and women.

It is one of the many things that have been reborn into the Age of Man.

I smile pleasantly at Rider and flick the tip of the blade through the air, before pointing it towards her. "Maybe I'm Saber." I state.

"Maybe, I'm a lion?" A vicious grin lights up my face and I lunge forwards, bridging the gap between us in the span of a second.

Sparks fly as the edge of the blade clashes with its enemy's weapons.

Unfortunately unlike the original this replica isn't capable of cutting through everything and the kitchen sink.

The kitchen sink? Most likely, but everything _and_ the kitchen sink-That is outside of its capability. Which is why I summon 'Edge of the Wind God' in attack mode.

There is a burst of wind as mana floods my summoned weapon and the edge sharpens to a razor thin point.

Between us a hurricane of movement unfolds as we pit our weapons and skill against one another. Sparks fly as metal meets wind. Silvers of metal ignite as they are shaved off the wicked looking spikes that Rider wields. Rider lunges from side to side in an attempt to flank me, unfortunately for her my instincts are superior and such acts are futile.

With grace befitting and exceeding that of my current form I parry Rider's attempts at shanking me in the kidney and flick my wrist.

A splatter of blood bursts into life as the tip of my sword manages to caress Rider's cheek.

Without hesitation the scantily clad Servant puts distance between her and the blade I wield.

Rider is crouched upon the edge of the rooftop. Her form is teetering over the edge, her boots barely holding on. A dribble of crimson gently trickles down her cheek and follows the smooth contour of her cheekbones. A small pink tongue flickers out and attempts to lick away the blood, it is a feat that is beyond its reach, and turns an intimidating act into one that is adorable.

My guard relaxes despite myself and I tilt my head to the side as an almost affectionate look appears on my features.

"That was cu-" I begin to say, before I am cut off by flash of steel.

My arm moves before I consciously react and I bat at the attack. My sword waves through thin air and my eyes widen in surprise. A moment later the steel within my fingers flickers and fizzles as I dissolve its existence.

"Stop running!" I shout indignantly and race to the edge of the rooftop, where Rider had been moments prior. There is no hesitation as I leap off after the bedevilled Servant.

Rider has once again taken to travelling astride the buildings sides. She has progressively begun to move into lower and lower territory, to my utter confusion. The people below are within reach. I could reach down and take hold of one and throw them at Rider.

But that is something to be frowned upon, despite how great a projectile they'd make.

Rider moves swiftly, staying just beyond the street level. It's an ingenious act; I can't risk alerting the bystanders to our presence by catching their attention, or by impaling them with a dagger by accident.

Without warning Rider suddenly changes her tactics, and in an instant is two stories higher. We've reached the edge of Shinto. Beyond us is the river that forever separates Miyama and Shinto. It's a familiar area that I was in hours prior. The realization of our location causes me to realize _which_ building we are traversing. My eyes flicker towards the windows that pass beneath my feet as I climb the height of the high-rise, and to the balconies that loom up above.

My heart skips a beat as Rider disappears beyond the balconies. The wind rushes past my body in a shriek as I push my body harder to catch up to the purple and black clad Servant. My feet touch upon the side of the steel railing of the balcony and my instincts scream at me without warning.

I throw my head backwards and barely avoid taking a large black boot to the head as Rider's form surges from the balcony, off into the air. I stretch backwards and my hands make contact with the glass and concrete bellow me. My body flips and my feet touch down upon the surface beneath me. I stare after Rider, my eyes burning with irritation. What was a game of cat and mouse has become ugly. I stand up and rush upwards. The moment my foot touches upon the guard railing I kick off and send myself hurtling after the enemy servant, and as I do I catch sight of a pair of confused and sleepy grey eyes from beyond the glass of the balcony.

And immediately forget I saw them.

Because if I had saw them, then that would have meant that I had to eliminate their owner. It is a rule that no one outside of the war must witness a servant. Just this once I want to live without the blood of an innocent on my hands.

My gaze hardens.

Fortunately for me there are ones that are not innocent that I can take my frustrations out on.

A red monstrosity looms in the near distance. The bridge that connects Miyama and Shinto stretches across the river, illuminated with the lights from lampposts. Rider's dark figure is rapidly ascending the structure, weaving between the support lines that are tethered to the bridge.

My body tenses and a rush of mana floods my limbs as I push my body forwards. The world blurs, and in an instant I am astride Rider as she slips around another support.

Or atleast, she tries to.

There is a sickening crunch as my fist impacts with Rider's face and sends her smashing into one of the gigantic metal beams that make up the bridge. Her body collides with it with an impressive force, but no sound escapes her. Instead she falls.

And falls.

And falls.

And at the last moment kicks away from the structure and sends herself into the middle of the road, where a car is ambling along on its way to Miyama.

I stare in disbelief as Rider's body twists and contorts, and in a miraculous gymnastic feat she lands upon the roof of the car. The car veers from side to side for a moment, before it steadies.

A moment later it explodes into motion and a ferocious roar shatters the pleasant atmosphere of the night.

I stare in wide-eyed disbelief, and admiration as Rider, living up to her name takes control of the car, _somehow_ and forces it to its peak speed. A cloud of black smoke billows forth from the tires as the rubber on them burns against the tar of the bridge.

Rider's head twists ever so slightly upon her modern day steed and the faintest of smiles mockingly appears on her lips.

Even I have to admit that was awesome.

As Rider makes her getaway in her semi-stolen car I continue to race along the bridge. My competitive spirit has taken hold. I cannot allow such a challenge to go unanswered, and it'd be rude not to play along. A flicker of doubt twitches in my mind, but I ignore it in favour of chasing down the bountifully busty babe that my enemy is.

It's entirely for revenge.

Believe it.

I lace my lower body with mana and kick off of the bridge. Without caution I tear the remaining mana inside my body asunder. It coalesces and forms into a secondary body, that immediately grabs me by the hand and with the force of a small car launches me forwards, before dispersing and returning to my body. As the wind rushes past me I tuck in my limbs and focus on the world ahead of me.

Which is comprised mainly of the ground that is rapidly approaching my face. I twist my body forwards and manage to hit the ground with my feet instead of my face. The first step is loud, and the second is barely a whisper.

The third is a thunderous roar as I infuse my body with mana once again and force my body forwards in a burst of raw energy. The world warped once again as I expended mana to push myself into reach of the purple haired servant.

"Rider!" I snarl as I appear in a swirl of wind beside her.

My voice is immediately lost to the sound of the roar of the engine, the wind and the sound of chain links clinking against each other.

Wait.

Chain links?

I snap my head to the side, and barely avoid having my eye being gouged out by one of Rider's spikes. I grin viciously as I sweep my hand into the length of chain and wrap my fingers around the cold metal links. My body is jerked into motion as the car at the other end of the chain continues on its ballistic path across the bridge. The sheer speed of the car does the impossible and keeps my body from touching the tar that races underneath me.

Atop the car Rider seems to be struggling. In one hand she holds the chain that connects her dagger-like spikes together, and the other is clutching the car's roof, that seems to be in danger of tearing under the stress she is putting upon it.

The world freezes, for a moment.

In this moment something disturbing occurs.

Rider's arm bulges and takes on a purplish tinge. Her nails lengthen and turn black.

In the next moment the world explodes into motion.

Or is that just me?

With strength exceeding what she had shown herself to be capable of Rider jerks the length of chain in her hand and I am sent flying forwards at a ballistic speed _exceeding_ that of the car. Without hesitation I release my hold on the chain, and am sent hurtling away. I barely avoid colliding with the support structure of the bridge.

And without mercy physics comes to finish me off.

Or as they say in this age.

What goes up.

Must come down.

As the momentum of the monstrous throw wears off my body begins to make an arc towards the land upon the Miyama side of the bridge. Utilizing all my prowess as a ninja I manage to land upon my feet. I spin around and face the bridge again.

The speeding car has lost control, because there is no longer a rooftop driver in control of it. It's quickly burning off speed as the rubber breaks are used by its original driver, who seems to be screaming and crying in the driver's seat.

Thankfully the Miyama side of the bridge is mostly empty. At this time of the night everyone is at home or on the Shinto side of the bridge. This side of the bridge is mostly commercial is closed at this time of night.

Out of the corner of my eye I spy a slim black figure disappearing towards the north, but instead of immediately giving chase I take a moment to collect my bearings. I'm becoming perilously low on mana.

Teleporting is no longer an option.

Doing so would waste what mana I had left to fight with.

I kick off of the ground towards a nearby building and land upon a windowsill, before I jump up off it towards the rooftop of another. My eyes quickly scan the rooftops for signs of Rider but find none.

It seems in my moment of rest Rider has vanished.

A nagging doubt flickered to life in the back of my mind.

_Why_ hadn't she simply disappeared in the beginning? If she had reverted to spirit form there would have been little I could of done besides do the same and attempt to follow her. I turn my gaze slowly towards the red bridge, and my lips slowly turn into a frown.

Had she done it to lead me away?

From her _Master_?

I shake my head and clear my thoughts away.

It doesn't matter.

I kick off the roof and begin to make my way towards the northern suburban area of Miyama.


End file.
